Proverbs 23

³²They separately served Joseph, his brothers, and the Egyptians. They ate separately because the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews, since that was detestable to them.

³³They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

¹²These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

⁸If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire.

⁹And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.

²⁷No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

⁶Do not eat the bread of a stingy man, and do not crave his delicacies;

⁴Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

²²to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

⁸But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

⁵Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”

²⁰A faithful man will abound with blessings, but one eager to be rich will not go unpunished.

⁸But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with these.

⁹Those 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.

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

⁵Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;

²⁷Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

²⁴for riches are not forever, nor does a crown endure to every generation.

¹⁶For 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.

¹⁹Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

¹Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.

²Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.

¹⁷Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.

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

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

⁴Do not let my heart be drawn to any evil thing or take part in works of wickedness with men who do iniquity; let me not feast on their delicacies.

³Do not crave his delicacies, for that food is deceptive.

⁸But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself with the king’s food or wine. So he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself.

⁹Now God had granted Daniel favor and compassion from the chief official,

⁹Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought in your heart: “The seventh year, the year of release, is near,” so that you look upon your poor brother begrudgingly and give him nothing. He will cry out to the Lord against you, and you will be guilty of sin.

¹⁵Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

²²A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.

²They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.

²¹His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.

¹⁵“How can you say, ‘I love you,’” she asked, “when your heart is not with me? This is the third time you have mocked me and failed to reveal to me the source of your great strength!”

³On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”

⁴But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?

³⁷As Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee invited Him to dine with him; so He went in and reclined at the table.

³⁸But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

³⁹When the Pharisee who had invited Jesus saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, He would know who this is and what kind of woman is touching Him—for she is a sinner!”

⁷He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

⁸Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

⁶Do not give dogs what is holy; do not throw your pearls before swine. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be like him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he become wise in his own eyes.

⁷The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

⁴⁶Then 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.

²⁰Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

¹⁰Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

²⁸Do not move an ancient boundary stone which your fathers have placed.

³This is what the Lord says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

¹⁷‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

²⁷Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

²Men move boundary stones; they pasture stolen flocks.

³They drive away the donkey of the fatherless and take the widow’s ox in pledge.

²³for the Lord will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.

²⁵But I know that my Redeemer lives, and in the end He will stand upon the earth.

²²You must not mistreat any widow or orphan.

²³If you do mistreat them, and they cry out to Me in distress, I will surely hear their cry.

¹⁹‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

⁵“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the Lord. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”

³⁶Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry.

¹My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight,

²that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge.

²if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding,

³if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding,

¹⁹Listen, my son, and be wise, and guide your heart on the right course.

²¹Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and every expression of evil, and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save your souls.

²²Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

³¹So My people come to you as usual, sit before you, and hear your words; but they do not put them into practice. Although they express love with their mouths, their hearts pursue dishonest gain.

⁵²Then He told them, “For this reason, every scribe who has been discipled in the kingdom of heaven is like a homeowner who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

²⁴He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.

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

¹⁸Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be party to his death.

¹⁷Discipline your son, and he will give you rest; he will bring delight to your soul.

⁵hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

¹⁵Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline drives it far from him.

³²But when we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.

²⁴The father of a righteous man will greatly rejoice, and he who fathers a wise son will delight in him.

²⁵May your father and mother be glad, and may she who gave you birth rejoice!

⁴I was overjoyed to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father has commanded us.

¹⁷The Lord your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing.”

³For I was overjoyed when the brothers came and testified about your devotion to the truth, in which you continue to walk.

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

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

¹¹I have told you these things so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

⁶Listen, for I speak of noble things, and the opening of my lips will reveal right.

⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving.

²We 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.

²⁹Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

⁴Pray that I may declare it clearly, as I should.

¹⁴Blessed is the man who is always reverent, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

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

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

¹⁷Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.

⁷For as many dreams bring futility, so do many words. Therefore, fear God.

³¹Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria experienced a time of peace. It grew in strength and numbers, living in the fear of the Lord and the encouragement of the Holy Spirit.

³⁵So do not throw away your confidence; it holds a great reward.

¹¹For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

¹⁸For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed.

¹⁴Know 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.

²⁰I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.

²⁰For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished.

²⁶My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.

¹²Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.

¹¹I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

⁶Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise.

⁶Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

²²Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

¹¹Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

⁴⁹And he begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.

¹⁷He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.

¹⁹Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.

¹⁵Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.

²⁰and say to the elders, “This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he does not obey us. He is a glutton and a drunkard.”

²¹and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

⁹How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?

¹⁰A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest,

¹⁷As for the eye that mocks a father and scorns obedience to a mother, may the ravens of the valley pluck it out and young vultures devour it.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

²⁶When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.”

²⁷Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

²⁰My son, keep your father’s commandment, and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

²“Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise),

¹⁶‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

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

⁴⁴The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and in his joy he went and sold all he had and bought that field.

⁷²The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

¹⁶How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.

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!

⁷But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.

⁸More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

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

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

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

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

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

²⁰Yes, brother, let me have some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.

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

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

⁵⁸Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

²⁷As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

⁹Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.”

¹⁰And Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only You would bless me and enlarge my territory! May Your hand be with me and keep me from harm, so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted the request of Jabez.

⁴⁰where she entered the home of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.

⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

³¹Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.

³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David,

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.

⁹How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your word.

¹⁰With all my heart I have sought You; do not let me stray from Your commandments.

⁵And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

³⁷Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;

³⁸and anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.

²⁵Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

²⁶Make a level path for your feet, and all your ways will be sure.

²³Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

¹⁴The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the Lord will fall into it.

²⁶And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

¹²Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner.

⁸We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

¹¹to promiscuity, wine, and new wine, which take away understanding.

¹⁴The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; he who is under the wrath of the Lord will fall into it.

¹Then one of the seven angels with the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute, who sits on many waters.

²The kings of the earth were immoral with her, and those who dwell on the earth were intoxicated with the wine of her immorality.”

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

³⁶When 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.

³⁷In 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.

¹¹Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

²²Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and champions in mixing strong drink,

²⁸Now Absalom had ordered his young men, “Watch Amnon until his heart is merry with wine, and when I order you to strike Amnon down, you are to kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant!”

⁷These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

⁸For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

¹¹Woe to those who rise early in the morning in pursuit of strong drink, who linger into the evening, to be inflamed by wine.

¹Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

²She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

⁶You drink wine by the bowlful and anoint yourselves with the finest oils, but you fail to grieve over the ruin of Joseph.

⁸For a cup is in the hand of the Lord, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.

¹⁶For 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.

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

²One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing—a very beautiful woman.

²⁵Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

⁴⁷And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell,

¹“But now, O Job, hear my speech, and listen to all my words.

⁷These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

⁸For all their tables are covered with vomit; there is not a place without filth.

³The majestic crown of Ephraim’s drunkards will be trampled underfoot.

²⁵But Abraham answered, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, while you are in agony.

²⁶And besides all this, a great chasm has been fixed between us and you, so that even those who wish cannot cross from here to you, nor can anyone cross from there to us.’

¹²Each one threw down his staff, and it became a serpent. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up the other staffs.

¹⁹It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.

⁵They hatch the eggs of vipers and weave a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die; crack one open, and a viper is hatched.

¹²These men are hidden reefs in your love feasts, shamelessly feasting with you but shepherding only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried along by the wind; fruitless trees in autumn, twice dead after being uprooted.

¹³They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

⁵lest they drink and forget what is decreed, depriving all the oppressed of justice.

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perversity,

⁵The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.

³²Come, let us get our father drunk with wine so we can sleep with him and preserve his line.”

³³So that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the firstborn went in and slept with her father; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.

⁴As they drank the wine, they praised their gods of gold and silver, bronze and iron, wood and stone.

²For you are fully aware that the Day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.

³While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

⁹However, while Elah was in Tirzah getting drunk in the house of Arza the steward of his household there, Elah’s servant Zimri, the commander of half his chariots, conspired against him.

³⁴But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.

²⁷People were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

²⁸It was the same in the days of Lot: People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.

³⁸For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark.

¹⁶So he led David down, and there were the Amalekites spread out over all the land, eating, drinking, and celebrating the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and the land of Judah.

¹⁷And David struck them down from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not a man escaped, except four hundred young men who fled, riding off on camels.

³O Lord, do not Your eyes look for truth? You struck them, but they felt no pain. You finished them off, but they refused to accept discipline. They have made their faces harder than stone and refused to repent.

¹²“Come, let me get the wine, let us imbibe the strong drink, and tomorrow will be like today, only far better!”

³²If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for human motives, what did I gain? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

³³Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

²²Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”

¹¹As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.

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