Wisdom Loves Righteousness

13 A wise son heeds his father’s instruction,
(A)But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

(B)A man shall eat well by the fruit of his mouth,
But the soul of the unfaithful feeds on violence.
(C)He who guards his mouth preserves his life,
But he who opens wide his lips shall have destruction.

(D)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame.
(E)Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,
But wickedness overthrows the sinner.

(F)There is one who makes himself rich, yet has nothing;
And one who makes himself poor, yet has great riches.

The ransom of a man’s life is his riches,
But the poor does not hear rebuke.

The light of the righteous rejoices,
(G)But the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10 By pride comes nothing but (H)strife,
But with the well-advised is wisdom.

11 (I)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
But (J)when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.

13 He who (K)despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded.
14 (L)The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from (M)the snares of death.

15 Good understanding [a]gains (N)favor,
But the way of the unfaithful is hard.
16 (O)Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,
But (P)a faithful ambassador brings health.

18 Poverty and shame will come to him who [b]disdains correction,
But (Q)he who regards a rebuke will be honored.

19 A desire accomplished is sweet to the soul,
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.

21 (R)Evil pursues sinners,
But to the righteous, good shall be repaid.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,
But (S)the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.

23 (T)Much food is in the [c]fallow ground of the poor,
And for lack of justice there is [d]waste.

24 (U)He who spares his rod hates his son,
But he who loves him disciplines him [e]promptly.

25 (V)The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul,
But the stomach of the wicked shall be in want.

The Ways of Life and Death

14 The wise woman builds her house,
But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

He who walks in his uprightness fears the Lord,
(W)But he who is perverse in his ways despises Him.

In the mouth of a fool is a rod of pride,
(X)But the lips of the wise will preserve them.

Where no oxen are, the [f]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

A (Y)faithful witness does not lie,
But a false witness will utter (Z)lies.

A scoffer seeks wisdom and does not find it,
But (AA)knowledge is easy to him who understands.
Go from the presence of a foolish man,
When you do not perceive in him the lips of (AB)knowledge.
The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way,
But the folly of fools is deceit.

(AC)Fools mock at [g]sin,
But among the upright there is favor.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,
And a stranger does not share its joy.

11 (AD)The house of the wicked will be overthrown,
But the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 (AE)There is a way that seems right to a man,
But (AF)its end is the way of (AG)death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may sorrow,
And (AH)the end of mirth may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be (AI)filled with his own ways,
But a good man will be satisfied [h]from (AJ)above.

15 The simple believes every word,
But the prudent considers well his steps.
16 (AK)A wise man fears and departs from evil,
But a fool rages and is self-confident.
17 A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,
And a man of wicked intentions is hated.
18 The simple inherit folly,
But the prudent are crowned with knowledge.
19 The evil will bow before the good,
And the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 (AL)The poor man is hated even by his own neighbor,
But [i]the rich has many (AM)friends.
21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
(AN)But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?
But mercy and truth belong to those who devise good.

23 In all labor there is profit,
But [j]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their riches,
But the foolishness of fools is folly.

25 A true witness [k]delivers (AO)souls,
But a deceitful witness speaks lies.

26 In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence,
And His children will have a place of refuge.
27 (AP)The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,
To turn one away from the snares of death.

28 In a multitude of people is a king’s honor,
But in the lack of people is the downfall of a prince.

29 (AQ)He who is slow to wrath has great understanding,
But he who is [l]impulsive exalts folly.

30 A sound heart is life to the body,
But (AR)envy is (AS)rottenness to the bones.

31 (AT)He who oppresses the poor reproaches (AU)his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.

32 The wicked is banished in his wickedness,
But (AV)the righteous has a refuge in his death.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of him who has understanding,
But (AW)what is in the heart of fools is made known.

34 Righteousness exalts a (AX)nation,
But sin is a [m]reproach to any people.

35 (AY)The king’s favor is toward a wise servant,
But his wrath is against him who causes shame.

A Soft Answer Turns Away Wrath

15 A (AZ)soft answer turns away wrath,
But (BA)a harsh word stirs up anger.
The tongue of the wise uses knowledge rightly,
(BB)But the mouth of fools pours forth foolishness.

(BC)The eyes of the Lord are in every place,
Keeping watch on the evil and the good.

A [n]wholesome tongue is a tree of life,
But perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

(BD)A fool despises his father’s instruction,
(BE)But he who [o]receives correction is prudent.

In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,
But in the revenue of the wicked is trouble.

The lips of the wise [p]disperse knowledge,
But the heart of the fool does not do so.

(BF)The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But the prayer of the upright is His delight.
The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,
But He loves him who (BG)follows righteousness.

10 (BH)Harsh discipline is for him who forsakes the way,
And (BI)he who hates correction will die.

11 (BJ)Hell[q] and [r]Destruction are before the Lord;
So how much more (BK)the hearts of the sons of men.

12 (BL)A scoffer does not love one who corrects him,
Nor will he go to the wise.

13 (BM)A merry heart makes a cheerful [s]countenance,
But (BN)by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,
But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,
(BO)But he who is of a merry heart has a continual feast.

16 (BP)Better is a little with the fear of the Lord,
Than great treasure with trouble.
17 (BQ)Better is a dinner of [t]herbs where love is,
Than a fatted calf with hatred.

18 (BR)A wrathful man stirs up strife,
But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

19 (BS)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

20 (BT)A wise son makes a father glad,
But a foolish man despises his mother.

21 (BU)Folly is joy to him who is destitute of [u]discernment,
(BV)But a man of understanding walks uprightly.

22 (BW)Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

23 A man has joy by the answer of his mouth,
And (BX)a word spoken [v]in due season, how good it is!

24 (BY)The way of life winds upward for the wise,
That he may (BZ)turn away from [w]hell below.

25 (CA)The Lord will destroy the house of the proud,
But (CB)He will establish the boundary of the widow.

26 (CC)The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,
(CD)But the words of the pure are pleasant.

27 (CE)He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house,
But he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous (CF)studies how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.

29 (CG)The Lord is far from the wicked,
But (CH)He hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,
And a good report makes the bones [x]healthy.

31 The ear that hears the rebukes of life
Will abide among the wise.
32 He who disdains instruction despises his own soul,
But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding.
33 (CI)The fear of the Lord is the instruction of wisdom,
And (CJ)before honor is humility.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:15 gives
  2. Proverbs 13:18 Lit. ignores
  3. Proverbs 13:23 uncultivated
  4. Proverbs 13:23 Lit. what is swept away
  5. Proverbs 13:24 early
  6. Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough
  7. Proverbs 14:9 Lit. guilt
  8. Proverbs 14:14 Lit. from above himself
  9. Proverbs 14:20 Lit. many are the lovers of the rich
  10. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
  11. Proverbs 14:25 saves lives
  12. Proverbs 14:29 Lit. short of spirit
  13. Proverbs 14:34 shame or disgrace
  14. Proverbs 15:4 Lit. healing
  15. Proverbs 15:5 Lit. keeps
  16. Proverbs 15:7 spread
  17. Proverbs 15:11 Or Sheol
  18. Proverbs 15:11 Heb. Abaddon
  19. Proverbs 15:13 face
  20. Proverbs 15:17 Or vegetables
  21. Proverbs 15:21 Lit. heart
  22. Proverbs 15:23 Lit. in its time
  23. Proverbs 15:24 Or Sheol
  24. Proverbs 15:30 Lit. fat

Israel’s Rejection Not Total

11 I say then, (A)has God cast away His people? (B)Certainly not! For (C)I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom (D)He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, (E)Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? (F)“I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” (G)Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And (H)if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. [a]But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.

What then? (I)Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were (J)blinded. Just as it is written:

(K)“God has given them a spirit of stupor,
(L)Eyes that they should not see
And ears that they should not hear,
To this very day.”

And David says:

(M)“Let their table become a snare and a trap,
A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
10 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,
And bow down their back always.”

Israel’s Rejection Not Final

11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But (N)through their [b]fall, to provoke them to (O)jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their [c]fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!

13 For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as (P)I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and (Q)save some of them. 15 For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be (R)but life from the dead?

16 For if (S)the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. 17 And if (T)some of the branches were broken off, (U)and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and [d]fatness of the olive tree, 18 (V)do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.

19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” 20 Well said. Because of (W)unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. 22 Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, [e]goodness, (X)if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise (Y)you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, (Z)if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be (AA)wise in your own [f]opinion, that (AB)blindness in part has happened to Israel (AC)until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be [g]saved, as it is written:

(AD)“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
27 For (AE)this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.”

28 Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are (AF)beloved for the sake of the fathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are (AG)irrevocable. 30 For as you (AH)were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has [h]committed them (AI)all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!

34 “For who has known the (AJ)mind of the Lord?
Or (AK)who has become His counselor?”
35 “Or(AL) who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”

36 For (AM)of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, (AN)to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 11:6 NU omits the rest of v. 6.
  2. Romans 11:11 trespass
  3. Romans 11:12 trespass
  4. Romans 11:17 richness
  5. Romans 11:22 NU adds of God
  6. Romans 11:25 estimation
  7. Romans 11:26 Or delivered
  8. Romans 11:32 shut them all up in

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