Proverbs 17 Cross References - MSB

¹ Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife. ² A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers. ³ A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts. ⁴ A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue. ⁵ He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished. ⁶ Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father. ⁷ Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler! ⁸ A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds. ⁹ Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends. ¹⁰ A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool. ¹¹ An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him. ¹² It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly. ¹³ If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house. ¹⁴ To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out. ¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD. ¹⁶ Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom? ¹⁷ A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. ¹⁸ A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor. ¹⁹ He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction. ²⁰ The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble. ²¹ A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy. ²² A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. ²³ A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice. ²⁴ Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth. ²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him. ²⁶ It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty. ²⁷ A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit. ²⁸ Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.

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

¹⁴ “I have made my peace offerings; today I have paid my vows.

¹⁷ Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

⁹ Better to live on a corner of the roof than to share a house with a quarrelsome wife.

¹⁹ Better to live in the desert than with a contentious and ill-tempered wife.

⁴ but will go to my country and my kindred to take a wife for my son Isaac.” ⁵ The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the land from which you came?” ⁶ Abraham replied, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there. ⁷ The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me from my father’s house and my native land, who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—He will send His angel before you so that you can take a wife for my son from there. ⁸ And if the woman is unwilling to follow you, then you are released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” ⁹ So the servant placed his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter. ¹⁰ Then the servant took ten of his master’s camels and departed with all manner of good things from his master in hand. And he set out for Nahor’s hometown in Aram-naharaim. ¹¹ As evening approached, he made the camels kneel down near the well outside the town at the time when the women went out to draw water. ¹² “O LORD, God of my master Abraham,” he prayed, “please grant me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. ¹³ Here I am, standing beside the spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. ¹⁴ Now may it happen that the girl to whom I say, ‘Please let down your jar that I may drink,’ and who responds, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. By this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” ¹⁵ Before the servant had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. ¹⁶ Now the girl was very beautiful, a virgin who had not had relations with any man. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up again. ¹⁷ So the servant ran to meet her and said, “Please let me have a little water from your jar.” ¹⁸ “Drink, my lord,” she replied, and she quickly lowered her jar to her hands and gave him a drink. ¹⁹ After she had given him a drink, she said, “I will also draw water for your camels, until they have had enough to drink.” ²⁰ And she quickly emptied her jar into the trough and ran back to the well to draw water, until she had drawn water for all his camels. ²¹ Meanwhile, the man watched her silently to see whether or not the LORD had made his journey a success. ²² And after the camels had finished drinking, he took out a gold ring weighing a beka, and two gold bracelets for her wrists weighing ten shekels. ²³ “Whose daughter are you?” he asked. “Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?” ²⁴ She replied, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milcah bore to Nahor.” ²⁵ Then she added, “We have plenty of straw and feed, as well as a place for you to spend the night.” ²⁶ Then the man bowed down and worshiped the LORD, ²⁷ saying, “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not withheld His kindness and faithfulness from my master. As for me, the LORD has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” ²⁸ The girl ran and told her mother’s household about these things. ²⁹ Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring. ³⁰ As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring. ³¹ “Come, you who are blessed by the LORD,” said Laban. “Why are you standing out here? I have prepared the house and a place for the camels.” ³² So the man came to the house, and the camels were unloaded. Straw and feed were brought to the camels, and water to wash his feet and the feet of his companions. ³³ Then a meal was set before the man, but he said, “I will not eat until I have told you what I came to say.” So Laban said, “Please speak.” ³⁴ “I am Abraham’s servant,” he replied. ³⁵ “The LORD has greatly blessed my master, and he has become rich. He has given him sheep and cattle, silver and gold, menservants and maidservants, camels and donkeys. ³⁶ My master’s wife Sarah has borne him a son in her old age, and my master has given him everything he owns. ³⁷ My master made me swear an oath and said, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites in whose land I dwell, ³⁸ but you shall go to my father’s house and to my kindred to take a wife for my son.’ ³⁹ Then I asked my master, ‘What if the woman will not come back with me?’ ⁴⁰ And he told me, ‘The LORD, before whom I have walked, will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, so that you may take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house. ⁴¹ And when you go to my kindred, if they refuse to give her to you, then you will be released from my oath.’ ⁴² So when I came to the spring today, I prayed: O LORD, God of my master Abraham, if only You would make my journey a success! ⁴³ Here I am, standing beside this spring. Now if a maiden comes out to draw water and I say to her, ‘Please let me drink a little water from your jar,’ ⁴⁴ and she replies, ‘Drink, and I will draw water for your camels as well,’ may she be the woman the LORD has appointed for my master’s son. ⁴⁵ And before I had finished praying in my heart, there was Rebekah coming out with her jar on her shoulder, and she went down to the spring and drew water. So I said to her, ‘Please give me a drink.’ ⁴⁶ She quickly lowered her jar from her shoulder and said, ‘Drink, and I will water your camels as well.’ So I drank, and she also watered the camels. ⁴⁷ Then I asked her, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied, ‘The daughter of Bethuel son of Nahor, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists. ⁴⁸ Then I bowed down and worshiped the LORD; and I blessed the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me on the right road to take the granddaughter of my master’s brother for his son. ⁴⁹ Now if you will show kindness and faithfulness to my master, tell me; but if not, let me know, so that I may go elsewhere.” ⁵⁰ Laban and Bethuel answered, “This is from the LORD; we have no choice in the matter. ⁵¹ Rebekah is here before you. Take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master’s son, just as the LORD has decreed.” ⁵² When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD. ⁵³ Then he brought out jewels of silver and gold, and articles of clothing, and he gave them to Rebekah. He also gave precious gifts to her brother and her mother. ⁵⁴ Then he and the men with him ate and drank and spent the night there. When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.” ⁵⁵ But her brother and mother said, “Let the girl remain with us ten days or so. After that, she may go.” ⁵⁶ But he replied, “Do not delay me, since the LORD has made my journey a success. Send me on my way so that I may go to my master.” ⁵⁷ So they said, “We will call the girl and ask her opinion.” ⁵⁸ They called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” “I will go,” she replied. ⁵⁹ So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. ⁶⁰ And they blessed Rebekah and said to her, “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands upon thousands. May your offspring possess the gates of their enemies.” ⁶¹ Then Rebekah and her servant girls got ready, mounted the camels, and followed the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left. ⁶² Now Isaac had just returned from Beer-lahai-roi, for he was living in the Negev. ⁶³ Early in the evening, Isaac went out to the field to meditate, and looking up, he saw the camels approaching. ⁶⁴ And when Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she got down from her camel ⁶⁵ and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?” “It is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself. ⁶⁶ Then the servant told Isaac all that he had done. ⁶⁷ And Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah and took Rebekah as his wife. And Isaac loved her and was comforted after his mother’s death.

⁵ He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

²⁹ He who brings trouble on his house will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

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

²⁶ He who assaults his father or evicts his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.

¹⁵ A rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

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

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.

² Test me, O LORD, and try me; examine my heart and mind.

¹⁰ For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us like silver.

²¹ A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but a man is tested by the praise accorded him.

¹⁰ See, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction.

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

⁹ This third I will bring through the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are My people,’ and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

² But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He will be like a refiner’s fire, like a launderer’s soap. ³ And He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. Then they will present offerings to the LORD in righteousness.

⁷ so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, honor, and glory, at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

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.

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. ¹⁰ Ahimelech inquired of the LORD for him and gave him provisions. He also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.” ¹¹ Then the king sent messengers to summon Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and his father’s whole family, who were priests at Nob. And all of them came to the king.

⁶ So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” ⁷ But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?” ⁸ The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied. ⁹ So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, “Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once.” ¹⁰ Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. ¹¹ Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’” ¹² And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.” ¹³ Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, “Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably.” ¹⁴ But Micaiah said, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me.” ¹⁵ When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will give it into the hand of the king.” ¹⁶ But the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?” ¹⁷ So Micaiah declared: “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These people have no master; let each one return home in peace.’” ¹⁸ Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?” ¹⁹ Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰ And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that. ²¹ Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD. ²² And he replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ ‘You will surely entice him and prevail,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ ²³ So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.” ²⁴ Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?” ²⁵ Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.” ²⁶ And the king of Israel declared, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son, ²⁷ and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’” ²⁸ But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”

⁴ Those who forsake the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law resist them.

¹⁰ They say to the seers, “Stop seeing visions!” and to the prophets, “Do not prophesy to us the truth! Speak to us pleasant words; prophesy illusions.

³¹ The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority. My people love it so, but what will you do in the end?

³ For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. ⁴ So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. ⁵ They are of the world. That is why they speak from the world’s perspective, and the world listens to them.

³ One of the heads of the beast appeared to be mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast. ⁴ They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?” ⁵ The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to make war for 42 months. ⁶ And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemy against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven. ⁷ Then the beast was permitted to wage war against the saints and to conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. ⁸ And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.

²⁹ If I have rejoiced in my enemy’s ruin, or exulted when evil befell him—

⁹ because zeal for Your house has consumed me, and the insults of those who insult You have fallen on me.

²¹ He who despises his neighbor sins, but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.

³¹ Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

⁵ Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished.

¹⁷ Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, ¹⁸ or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him.

¹⁶ But I have not run away from being Your shepherd; I have not desired the day of despair. You know that the utterance of my lips was spoken in Your presence.

¹¹ On the day you stood aloof while strangers carried off his wealth and foreigners entered his gate and cast lots for Jerusalem, you were just like one of them. ¹² But you should not gloat in that day, your brother’s day of misfortune, nor rejoice over the people of Judah in the day of their destruction, nor boast proudly in the day of their distress. ¹³ You should not enter the gate of My people in the day of their disaster, nor gloat over their affliction in the day of their disaster, nor loot their wealth in the day of their disaster.

¹⁶ For as you drank on My holy mountain, so all the nations will drink continually. They will drink and gulp it down; they will be as if they had never existed.

¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

¹⁷ If anyone with earthly possessions sees his brother in need, but withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God abide in him?

²³ He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.

¹⁴ God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ¹⁵ God also told Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.

¹² Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.

⁴ Nevertheless, for the sake of David, the LORD his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and to make Jerusalem strong.

¹⁶ After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. ¹⁷ And so Job died, old and full of years.

³ Children are indeed a heritage from the LORD, and the fruit of the womb is His reward. ⁴ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are children born in one’s youth. ⁵ Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. He will not be put to shame when he confronts the enemies at the gate.

³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine flourishing within your house, your sons like olive shoots sitting around your table. ⁴ In this way indeed shall blessing come to the man who fears the LORD. ⁵ May the LORD bless you from Zion, that you may see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life, ⁶ that you may see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!

²² A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is passed to the righteous.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness.

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,

¹² Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly, and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

¹⁶ To the wicked, however, God says, “What right have you to recite My statutes and to bear My covenant on your lips? ¹⁷ For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.

³ I will set no worthless thing before my eyes. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. ⁴ A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know nothing of evil. 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.

¹⁹ Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

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.

⁷ Like lame legs hanging limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

¹² If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials will be wicked.

⁵ You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁹ “I already have plenty, my brother,” Esau replied. “Keep what belongs to you.” ¹⁰ But Jacob insisted, “No, please! If I have found favor in your sight, then receive this gift from my hand. For indeed, I have seen your face, and it is like seeing the face of God, since you have received me favorably. ¹¹ Please accept my gift that was brought to you, because God has been gracious to me and I have all I need.” So Jacob pressed him until he accepted.

¹¹ Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your packs and carry them down as a gift for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachios and almonds.

⁸ Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

¹⁹ Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.

³⁵ Then David accepted from her hand what she had brought him, and he said to her, “Go home in peace. See, I have heeded your voice and granted your request.”

¹ When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a hundred clusters of raisins, a hundred summer fruits, and a skin of wine. ² “Why do you have these?” asked the king. Ziba replied, “The donkeys are for the king’s household to ride, the bread and summer fruit are for the young men to eat, and the wine is to refresh those who become exhausted in the wilderness.” ³ “Where is your master’s grandson?” asked the king. And Ziba answered, “Indeed, he is staying in Jerusalem, for he has said, ‘Today, the house of Israel will restore to me the kingdom of my grandfather.’” ⁴ So the king said to Ziba, “All that belongs to Mephibosheth is now yours!” “I humbly bow before you,” said Ziba. “May I find favor in your eyes, my lord the king!”

¹⁶ He reached down from on high and took hold of me; He drew me out of deep waters.

⁶ it rises at one end of the heavens and runs its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.

¹³ Be exalted, O LORD, in Your strength; we will sing and praise Your power.

⁴ The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.

²³ A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.

¹⁴ A gift in secret soothes anger, and a covert bribe pacifies great wrath.

²³ Your rulers are rebels, friends of thieves. They all love bribes and chasing after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, and the plea of the widow never comes before them.

¹² For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.

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.

¹ Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.

¹² Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

²⁸ A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends.

⁸ Above all, love one another deeply, because love will cover over a multitude of sins.

⁵ Let the righteous man strike me; let his rebuke be an act of loving devotion. It is oil for my head; let me not refuse it. For my prayer is ever against the deeds of the wicked.

⁸ Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹ Instruct a wise man, and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man, and he will increase his learning.

¹ A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

⁵ A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but whoever heeds correction is prudent.

²⁵ Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

²² Though you grind a fool like grain with mortar and a pestle, yet his folly will not depart from him.

¹⁹ A servant cannot be corrected by words alone; though he understands, he will not respond.

¹⁹ Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.

¹² While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.

⁵ As King David approached Bahurim, a man from the family of the house of Saul was just coming out. His name was Shimei son of Gera, and as he approached, he kept yelling out curses. ⁶ He threw stones at David and at all the servants of the king, though the troops and all the mighty men were on David’s right and left. ⁷ And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! ⁸ The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!” ⁹ Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head!”

¹⁵ And ten young men who carried Joab’s armor surrounded Absalom, struck him, and killed him.

¹⁹ Then Ahimaaz son of Zadok said, “Please let me run and tell the king the good news that the LORD has avenged him of his enemies.”

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!”

²² Then the woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn and his men dispersed from the city, each to his own home. And Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

²⁴ And now, as surely as the LORD lives—the One who established me, who set me on the throne of my father David, and who founded for me a dynasty as He promised—surely Adonijah shall be put to death today!” ²⁵ So King Solomon sent the order to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, who struck down Adonijah, and he died.

³¹ And the king replied, “Do just as he says. Strike him down and bury him, and so remove from me and from the house of my father the innocent blood that Joab shed.

⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and struck Shimei down, and he died. Thus the kingdom was firmly established in the hand of Solomon.

⁴¹ “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”

⁷ When he heard this, the king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.

²⁷ And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”

⁸ He continued, “You know your father and his men. They are mighty men, and as fierce as a wild bear robbed of her cubs. Moreover, your father is a man of war who will not spend the night with the troops.

²⁴ Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.

³ A stone is heavy and sand is a burden, but aggravation from a fool outweighs them both.

¹⁵ Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.

⁸ Like a bear robbed of her cubs I will attack them, and I will tear open their chests. There I will devour them like a lion, like a wild beast would tear them apart.

¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.

¹⁷ and said to David, “You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me with good, though I have rewarded you with evil.

² The Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons, and they killed Saul’s sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua. ³ When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers overtook him and wounded him critically.

¹⁰ Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’

¹ During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.” ² At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.) ³ So David asked the Gibeonites, “What shall I do for you? How can I make amends so that you may bless the inheritance of the LORD?” ⁴ The Gibeonites said to him, “We need no silver or gold from Saul or his house, nor should you put to death anyone in Israel for us.” “Whatever you ask, I will do for you,” he replied. ⁵ And they answered the king, “As for the man who consumed us and plotted against us to exterminate us from existing within any border of Israel, ⁶ let seven of his male descendants be delivered to us so that we may hang them before the LORD at Gibeah of Saul, the chosen of the LORD.” “I will give them to you,” said the king. ⁷ Now the king spared Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the oath before the LORD between David and Jonathan son of Saul. ⁸ But the king took Armoni and Mephibosheth, the two sons whom Rizpah daughter of Aiah had borne to Saul, as well as the five sons whom Merab daughter of Saul had borne to Adriel son of Barzillai the Meholathite. ⁹ And he delivered them into the hands of the Gibeonites, and they hanged them on the hill before the LORD. So all seven of them fell together; they were put to death in the first days of the harvest, at the beginning of the barley harvest. ¹⁰ And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on a rock. From the beginning of the harvest until the rain from heaven poured down on the bodies, she did not allow the birds of the air to rest on them by day, nor the beasts of the field by night. ¹¹ When David was told what Saul’s concubine Rizpah, daughter of Aiah, had done, ¹² he went and took the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan from the men of Jabesh-gilead, who had stolen them from the public square of Beth-shan where the Philistines had hung the bodies after they had struck down Saul at Gilboa. ¹³ So David had the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan brought from there, along with the bones of those who had been hanged. ¹⁴ And they buried the bones of Saul and his son Jonathan in Zela in the land of Benjamin, in the tomb of Saul’s father Kish. After they had done everything the king had commanded, God answered their prayers for the land.

¹² They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.

²⁰ Those who repay my good with evil attack me for pursuing the good.

¹² For it is not an enemy who insults me; that I could endure. It is not a foe who rises against me; from him I could hide. ¹³ But it is you, a man like myself, my companion and close friend. ¹⁴ We shared sweet fellowship together; we walked with the crowd into the house of God. ¹⁵ Let death seize them by surprise; let them go down to Sheol alive, for evil is with them in their homes.

⁴ In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. ⁵ They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love. ⁶ Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand. ⁷ When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin. ⁸ May his days be few; may another take his position. ⁹ May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. ¹⁰ May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes. ¹¹ May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor. ¹² May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children. ¹³ May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.

²⁰ Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them. ²¹ Therefore, hand their children over to famine; pour out the power of the sword upon them. Let their wives become childless and widowed; let their husbands be slain by disease, their young men struck down by the sword in battle.

⁵ So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

²⁵ All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Carefully consider what is right in the eyes of everybody.

¹⁵ Make sure that no one repays evil for evil. Always pursue what is good for one another and for all people.

⁹ Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, knowing that to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing.

⁸ So Abram said to Lot, “Please let there be no contention between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen. After all, we are brothers. ⁹ Is not the whole land before you? Now separate yourself from me. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

¹ Then the men of Ephraim said to Gideon, “Why have you done this to us? Why did you fail to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they contended with him violently. ² But Gideon answered them, “Now what have I accomplished compared to you? Are not the gleanings of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer? ³ God has delivered Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian, into your hand. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he had said this, their anger against him subsided.

¹ Then the men of Ephraim assembled and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah, “Why have you crossed over to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We will burn your house down with you inside!” ² But Jephthah replied, “My people and I had a serious conflict with the Ammonites, and when I called, you did not save me out of their hands. ³ When I saw that you would not save me, I risked my life and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come today to fight against me?” ⁴ Jephthah then gathered all the men of Gilead and fought against Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck them down because the Ephraimites had said, “You Gileadites are fugitives in Ephraim, living in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.” ⁵ The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim, and whenever a fugitive from Ephraim would say, “Let me cross over,” the Gileadites would ask him, “Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered, “No,” ⁶ they told him, “Please say Shibboleth.” If he said, “Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. So at that time 42,000 Ephraimites were killed.

¹⁴ Then Abner said to Joab, “Let us have the young men get up and compete before us.” “Let them get up,” Joab replied. ¹⁵ So they got up and were counted off—twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve for David. ¹⁶ Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side, and they all fell together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is called Helkath-hazzurim. ¹⁷ The battle that day was intense, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by the servants of David.

⁴¹ Soon all the men of Israel came to the king and asked, “Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and bring the king and his household across the Jordan, together with all of David’s men?”

¹⁴ and spoke to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father made your yoke heavy, I will add to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged you with whips, I will scourge you with scorpions.” ¹⁵ So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat. ¹⁶ When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So all the Israelites went home,

¹⁷ Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and 500,000 chosen men of Israel fell slain.

¹⁷ Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said. ¹⁸ But Jehoash king of Israel replied to Amaziah king of Judah: “A thistle in Lebanon sent a message to a cedar in Lebanon, saying, ‘Give your daughter to my son in marriage.’ Then a wild beast in Lebanon came along and trampled the thistle. ¹⁹ You have said, ‘Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and your heart has become proud and boastful. Now stay at home. Why should you stir up trouble so that you fall—you and Judah with you?” ²⁰ But Amaziah would not listen, for this had come from God in order to deliver them into the hand of Jehoash, because they had sought the gods of Edom. ²¹ So Jehoash king of Israel advanced, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced each other at Beth-shemesh in Judah. ²² And Judah was routed before Israel, and every man fled to his own home. ²³ There at Beth-shemesh, Jehoash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, the son of Jehoahaz. Then Jehoash brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate—a section of four hundred cubits. ²⁴ He took all the gold and silver and all the articles found in the house of God with Obed-edom and in the treasuries of the royal palace, as well as some hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

⁶ For in one day Pekah son of Remaliah killed 120,000 valiant men in Judah. This happened because they had forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers.

¹⁰ Arrogance leads only to strife, but wisdom is with the well-advised.

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

¹ A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

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.

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

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

³ It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.

⁸ do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?

²¹ Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

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

⁸ The end of a matter is better than the beginning, and a patient spirit is better than a proud one. ⁹ Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

³⁹ But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; ⁴⁰ if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well; ⁴¹ and if someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

¹ In those days when the disciples were increasing in number, the Grecian Jews among them began to grumble against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. ² So the Twelve summoned all the disciples and said, “It is unacceptable for us to neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables. ³ Therefore, brothers, select from among you seven men confirmed to be full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom. We will appoint this responsibility to them ⁴ and will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” ⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, as well as Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.

² Therefore after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. ³ Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers. ⁴ On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them. ⁵ But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” ⁶ So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter. ⁷ After much debate, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among us that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith. ¹⁰ Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? ¹¹ On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” ¹² The whole assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they had finished speaking, James declared, “Brothers, listen to me! ¹⁴ Simon has told us how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: ¹⁶ ‘After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, ¹⁷ so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things. ¹⁸ Known for ages to God are all His works. ¹⁹ It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. ²¹ For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

¹⁸ If it is possible on your part, live at peace with everyone.

¹¹ and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.

²³ But reject foolish and ignorant speculation, for you know that it breeds quarreling. ²⁴ And a servant of the Lord must not be quarrelsome, but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, and forbearing.

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. 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. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

⁷ Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

¹³ And the two scoundrels came in and sat opposite Naboth, and these men testified against him before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king!” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death.

¹⁶ There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him:

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

⁸ The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.

⁵ Showing partiality to the wicked is not good, nor is depriving the innocent of justice.

²³ These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. ²⁴ Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;

²³ who acquit the guilty for a bribe and deprive the innocent of justice.

⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

²⁷ Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain. ²⁸ Her prophets whitewash these deeds by false visions and lying divinations, saying, ‘This is what the Lord GOD says,’ when the LORD has not spoken. ²⁹ The people of the land have practiced extortion and committed robbery. They have oppressed the poor and needy and have exploited the foreign resident without justice.

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—

¹⁸ But they all cried out in unison: “Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again, ²¹ but they kept shouting, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” ²² A third time he said to them, “What evil has this man done? I have found in Him no offense worthy of death. So after I punish Him, I will release Him.” ²³ But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor and that of the chief priests prevailed. ²⁴ So Pilate sentenced that their demand be met. ²⁵ As they had requested, he released the one imprisoned for insurrection and murder, and handed Jesus over to their will.

⁵ However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

⁶ You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.

²⁹ If only they had such a heart to fear Me and keep all My commandments always, so that it might be well with them and with their children forever.

¹¹ But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me. ¹² So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices. ¹³ If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways,

²² “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? ²³ If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you.

⁴ “To you, O men, I call out, and my cry is to the sons of men. ⁵ O simple ones, learn to be shrewd; O fools, gain understanding.

⁴ “Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” she says to him who lacks judgment. ⁵ “Come, eat my bread and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”

⁶ A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

¹⁵ The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks it out.

²⁵ The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work. ²⁶ All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint.

²³ Invest in truth and never sell it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.

¹ “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! ² Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods. ³ Incline your ear and come to Me; listen, so that your soul may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant—My loving devotion promised to David.

¹¹ Promiscuity, wine, and new wine take away understanding.

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

⁴⁶ Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

²⁶ ‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” ²⁷ 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.’

¹ As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.

¹⁶ But Ruth replied: “Do not urge me to leave you or to turn from following you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.

³ Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.

² so he warned David, saying, “My father Saul intends to kill you. Be on your guard in the morning; find a secret place and hide there.

¹⁷ And Jonathan had David reaffirm his vow out of love for him, for Jonathan loved David as he loved himself.

¹⁶ And Saul’s son Jonathan came to David in Horesh and strengthened his hand in God,

²⁶ I grieve for you, Jonathan, my brother. You were delightful to me; your love to me was extraordinary, surpassing the love of women.

¹ Then David asked, “Is there anyone left from the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for the sake of Jonathan?” ² And there was a servant of Saul’s family named Ziba. They summoned him to David, and the king inquired, “Are you Ziba?” “I am your servant,” he replied. ³ So the king asked, “Is there anyone left of Saul’s family to whom I can show the kindness of God?” Ziba answered, “There is still Jonathan’s son, who is lame in both feet.” ⁴ “Where is he?” replied the king. And Ziba said, “Indeed, he is in Lo-debar at the house of Machir son of Ammiel.” ⁵ So King David had him brought from the house of Machir son of Ammiel in Lo-debar. ⁶ And when Mephibosheth son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David, he fell facedown in reverence. Then David said, “Mephibosheth!” “I am your servant,” he replied. ⁷ “Do not be afraid,” said David, “for surely I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” ⁸ Mephibosheth bowed down and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog like me?” ⁹ Then the king summoned Saul’s servant Ziba and said to him, “I have given to your master’s grandson all that belonged to Saul and to all his house. ¹⁰ You and your sons and servants are to work the ground for him and bring in the harvest, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat. But Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, is always to eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. ¹¹ And Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do all that my lord the king has commanded.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table like one of the king’s own sons. ¹² And Mephibosheth had a young son named Mica, and all who dwelt in the house of Ziba were servants of Mephibosheth. ¹³ So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table, and he was lame in both feet.

¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s house will perish. And who knows if perhaps you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

²⁴ A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who stays closer than a brother.

⁷ All the brothers of a poor man hate him—how much more do his friends avoid him! He may pursue them with pleading, but they are nowhere to be found.

¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do what I command you.

¹¹ For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.

¹ My son, if you have put up security for your neighbor, if you have struck hands in pledge with a stranger, ² if you have been trapped by the words of your lips, ensnared by the words of your mouth, ³ then do this, my son, to free yourself, for you have fallen into your neighbor’s hands: Go, humble yourself, and press your plea with your neighbor. ⁴ Allow no sleep to your eyes or slumber to your eyelids. ⁵ Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

¹⁵ He who puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer, but the one who hates indebtedness is secure.

¹⁶ Take the garment of the one who posts security for a stranger; get collateral if it is for a foreigner.

¹⁶ Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

²⁶ Do not be one who gives pledges, who puts up security for debts. ²⁷ If you have nothing with which to pay, why should your bed be taken from under you?

³⁶ When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light. ³⁷ In the morning when Nabal was sober, his wife told him about these events, and his heart failed within him and he became like a stone. ³⁸ About ten days later, the LORD struck Nabal dead.

¹ Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

⁵ At that time Adonijah, David’s son by Haggith, began to exalt himself, saying, “I will be king!” And he acquired chariots and horsemen and fifty men to run ahead of him.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁴ To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.

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

²⁷ Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house.

⁹ If a wise man goes to court with a fool, there will be raving and laughing with no resolution.

²² An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression. ²³ A man’s pride will bring him low, but a humble spirit will obtain honor.

¹³ “Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, and his upper rooms without justice, who makes his countrymen serve without pay, and fails to pay their wages, ¹⁴ who says, ‘I will build myself a great palace, with spacious upper rooms.’ So he cuts windows in it, panels it with cedar, and paints it with vermilion. ¹⁵ Does it make you a king to excel in cedar? Did not your father have food and drink? He administered justice and righteousness, and so it went well with him.

²⁰ The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth, ²¹ whose foliage was beautiful and whose fruit was abundant, providing food for all, under which the beasts of the field lived, and in whose branches the birds of the air nested—

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.

²⁰ for man’s anger does not bring about the righteousness that God desires.

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.

²⁶ to the pure You show Yourself pure, but to the crooked You show Yourself shrewd.

³² for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.

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. ¹⁵ Therefore calamity will come upon him suddenly; in an instant he will be shattered beyond recovery.

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

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

¹⁴ The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of the fool invites destruction.

³¹ The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out.

⁶ A fool’s lips bring him strife, and his mouth invites a beating. ⁷ A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.

¹² The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious, but the lips of a fool consume him.

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. ⁷ All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, ⁸ but no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.

³⁴ When Esau was forty years old, he took as his wives Judith daughter of Beeri the Hittite and Basemath daughter of Elon the Hittite.

³² You will see distress in My dwelling place. Despite all that is good in Israel, no one in your house will ever again reach old age. ³³ And every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar, your eyes will fail and your heart will grieve. All your descendants will die by the sword of men. ³⁴ And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day. ³⁵ Then I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest. He will do whatever is in My heart and mind. And I will build for him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed one for all time.

³ But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.

³³ The king was shaken and went up to the gate chamber and wept. And as he walked, he cried out, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

¹ The proverbs of Solomon: A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish son grief to his mother.

²⁰ A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.

²⁵ A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

¹³ A foolish son is his father’s ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like a constant dripping.

¹⁵ My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will indeed rejoice. ¹⁶ My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

³ I wrote to you as I did so that on my arrival I would not be saddened by those who ought to make me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would share my joy.

¹⁹ I, Paul, write this with my own hand. I will repay it—not to mention that you owe me your very self. ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in the Lord.

⁴ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth.

¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death.

³ When I kept silent, my bones became brittle from my groaning all day long. ⁴ For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was drained as in the summer heat. Selah

³ For my days vanish like smoke, and my bones burn like glowing embers. ⁴ My heart is afflicted, and withered like grass; I even forget to eat my bread. ⁵ Through my loud groaning my flesh clings to my bones.

²⁵ Anxiety weighs down the heart of a man, but a good word cheers it up.

¹³ A joyful heart makes a cheerful countenance, but sorrow of the heart crushes the spirit.

¹⁴ The spirit of a man can endure his sickness, but who can survive a broken spirit?

⁷ Go, eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already approved your works: ⁸ Let your garments always be white, and never spare the oil for your head. ⁹ Enjoy life with your beloved wife all the days of the fleeting life that God has given you under the sun—all your fleeting days. For this is your portion in life and in your labor under the sun.

² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.

⁷ So instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

¹⁰ Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

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.”

⁸ A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.

¹⁶ A man’s gift opens doors for him, and brings him before great men.

¹² In you they take bribes to shed blood. You engage in usury, take excess interest, and extort your neighbors. But Me you have forgotten, declares the Lord GOD.

¹¹ Her leaders judge for a bribe, her priests teach for a price, and her prophets practice divination for money. Yet they lean upon the LORD, saying, “Is not the LORD among us? No disaster can come upon us.”

¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.

³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things; revive me with Your word.

¹⁴ A discerning heart seeks knowledge, but the mouth of a fool feeds on folly.

⁵ When you glance at wealth, it disappears, for it makes wings for itself and flies like an eagle to the sky.

¹⁴ The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.

⁹ Better what the eye can see than the wandering of desire. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

¹ Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

¹⁷ If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.

¹ After some time, David’s son Amnon fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of David’s son Absalom. ² Amnon was sick with frustration over his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed implausible for him to do anything to her. ³ Now Amnon had a friend named Jonadab, the son of David’s brother Shimeah. Jonadab was a very shrewd man, ⁴ so he asked Amnon, “Why are you, the son of the king, so depressed morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?” Amnon replied, “I am in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.” ⁵ Jonadab told him, “Lie down on your bed and pretend you are ill. When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘Please let my sister Tamar come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare it in my sight so I may watch her and eat it from her hand.’” ⁶ So Amnon lay down and feigned illness. When the king came to see him, Amnon said, “Please let my sister Tamar come and make a couple of cakes in my sight, so that I may eat from her hand.” ⁷ Then David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Please go to the house of Amnon your brother and prepare a meal for him.” ⁸ So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made cakes in his sight, and baked them. ⁹ Then she brought the pan and set it down before him, but he refused to eat. “Send everyone away!” said Amnon. And everyone went out. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food into the bedroom, so that I may eat it from your hand.” Tamar took the cakes she had made and went to her brother Amnon’s bedroom. ¹¹ And when she had brought them to him to eat, he took hold of her and said, “Come lie with me, my sister!” ¹² “No, my brother!” she cried. “Do not humiliate me, for such a thing should never be done in Israel. Do not do this disgraceful thing! ¹³ Where could I ever take my shame? And you would be like one of the fools in Israel! Please speak to the king, for he will not withhold me from you.” ¹⁴ But Amnon refused to listen to her, and being stronger, he violated her and lay with her. ¹⁵ Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!” ¹⁶ “No,” she replied, “sending me away is worse than this great wrong you have already done to me!” But he refused to listen to her. ¹⁷ Instead, he called to his attendant and said, “Throw this woman out and bolt the door behind her!” ¹⁸ So Amnon’s attendant threw her out and bolted the door behind her. Now Tamar was wearing a robe of many colors, because this is what the king’s virgin daughters wore. ¹⁹ And Tamar put ashes on her head and tore her robe. And putting her hand on her head, she went away crying bitterly. ²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has your brother Amnon been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister. He is your brother. Do not take this thing to heart.” So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom. ²¹ When King David heard all this, he was furious. ²² And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad, because he hated Amnon for disgracing his sister Tamar.

¹⁸ I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

²⁵ Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”

²³ When Joab and all his troops arrived, he was informed, “Abner son of Ner came to see the king, who sent him on his way in peace.” ²⁴ So Joab went to the king and said, “What have you done? Look, Abner came to you. Why did you dismiss him? Now he is getting away! ²⁵ Surely you realize that Abner son of Ner came to deceive you and to track your movements and all that you are doing.”

³⁹ And I am weak this day, though anointed as king, and these men, the sons of Zeruiah, are too fierce for me. May the LORD repay the evildoer according to his evil!”

⁷ And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed! ⁸ The LORD has paid you back for all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned, and the LORD has delivered the kingdom into the hand of your son Absalom. See, you have come to ruin because you are a man of bloodshed!”

⁷ Now therefore get up! Go out and speak comfort to your servants, for I swear by the LORD that if you do not go out, not a man will remain with you tonight. This will be worse for you than all the adversity that has befallen you from your youth until now!”

¹⁸ who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’ ¹⁹ who is not partial to princes and does not favor rich over poor? For they are all the work of His hands.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous—both are detestable to the LORD.

¹ Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

²² When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”

¹⁹ When words are many, sin is unavoidable, but he who restrains his lips is wise.

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

¹⁷ The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

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

² We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to control his whole body.

¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.

⁵ If only you would remain silent; for that would be your wisdom!

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

³ As a dream comes through many cares, so the speech of a fool comes with many words.

³ Even as the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking, and he shows everyone that he is a fool.

¹⁴ Yet the fool multiplies words. No one knows what is coming, and who can tell him what will come after him?