Bible in 90 Days
135 Praise the Lord.
Praise the name of the Lord.
You who serve the Lord, praise him.
2 You who serve in the house of the Lord, praise him.
You who serve in the courtyards of the temple of our God, praise him.
3 Praise the Lord, because he is good.
Sing praise to his name, because that is pleasant.
4 The Lord has chosen the people of Jacob to be his own.
He has chosen Israel to be his special treasure.
5 I know that the Lord is great.
I know that our Lord is greater than all gods.
6 The Lord does anything he wants to do
in the heavens and on the earth.
He does it even in the deepest parts of the oceans.
7 He makes clouds rise from one end of the earth to the other.
He sends lightning with the rain.
He brings the wind out of his storerooms.
8 He killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
He struck down the oldest males that were born to people and animals.
9 He did miraculous signs in Egypt.
He did wonders against Pharaoh and everyone who served him.
10 He destroyed many nations.
He killed mighty kings.
11 He killed Sihon, the king of the Amorites,
and Og, the king of Bashan.
He killed all the kings of Canaan.
12 He gave their land as a gift
to his people Israel.
13 Lord, your name continues forever.
Lord, your fame will last for all time to come.
14 When the Lord hands down his sentence, it will be in his people’s favor.
He will show deep concern for those who serve him.
15 The statues of the nations’ gods are made out of silver and gold.
They are made by human hands.
16 They have mouths but can’t speak.
They have eyes but can’t see.
17 They have ears but can’t hear.
They have mouths but can’t breathe.
18 Those who make statues of gods will be like them.
So will all those who trust in them.
19 People of Israel, praise the Lord.
Priests of Aaron, praise the Lord.
20 Tribe of Levi, praise the Lord.
You who have respect for the Lord, praise him.
21 Give praise to the Lord in Zion.
Give praise to the God who lives in Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord.
136 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good.
His faithful love continues forever.
2 Give thanks to the greatest God of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
3 Give thanks to the most powerful Lord of all.
His faithful love continues forever.
4 Give thanks to the only one who can do great miracles.
His faithful love continues forever.
5 By his understanding he made the heavens.
His faithful love continues forever.
6 He spread out the earth on the waters.
His faithful love continues forever.
7 He made the great lights in the sky.
His faithful love continues forever.
8 He made the sun to rule over the day.
His faithful love continues forever.
9 He made the moon and stars to rule over the night.
His faithful love continues forever.
10 Give thanks to the God who killed the oldest son of each family in Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
11 He brought the people of Israel out of Egypt.
His faithful love continues forever.
12 He did it by reaching out his mighty hand and powerful arm.
His faithful love continues forever.
13 Give thanks to the God who parted the waters of the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
14 He brought Israel through the middle of it.
His faithful love continues forever.
15 But he swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea.
His faithful love continues forever.
16 Give thanks to the God who led his people through the desert.
His faithful love continues forever.
17 He killed great kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
18 He struck down mighty kings.
His faithful love continues forever.
19 He killed Sihon, the king of the Amorites.
His faithful love continues forever.
20 He killed Og, the king of Bashan.
His faithful love continues forever.
21 He gave their land as a gift.
His faithful love continues forever.
22 He gave it as a gift to his servant Israel.
His faithful love continues forever.
23 Give thanks to the God who remembered us when things were going badly.
His faithful love continues forever.
24 He set us free from our enemies.
His faithful love continues forever.
25 He gives food to every creature.
His faithful love continues forever.
26 Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His faithful love continues forever.
137 We were sitting by the rivers of Babylon.
We wept when we remembered what had happened to Zion.
2 On the nearby poplar trees
we hung up our harps.
3 Those who held us as prisoners asked us to sing.
Those who enjoyed hurting us ordered us to sing joyful songs.
They said, “Sing one of the songs of Zion to us!”
4 How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while we are in another land?
5 Jerusalem, if I forget you,
may my right hand never be able to play the harp again.
6 If I don’t remember you,
may my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth so I can’t sing.
May it happen if I don’t consider Jerusalem
to be my greatest joy.
7 Lord, remember what the people of Edom did
on the day Jerusalem fell.
“Tear it down!” they cried.
“Tear it down to the ground!”
8 People of Babylon, you are sentenced to be destroyed.
Happy is the person who pays you back
according to what you have done to us.
9 Happy is the person who grabs your babies
and smashes them against the rocks.
A psalm of David.
138 Lord, I will praise you with all my heart.
In front of those who think they are gods
I will sing praise to you.
2 I will bow down facing your holy temple.
I will praise your name,
because you are always loving and faithful.
You have honored your holy word
even more than your own fame.
3 When I called out to you, you answered me.
You made me strong and brave.
4 Lord, may all the kings on earth praise you
when they hear about what you have decided.
5 Lord, may they sing about what you have done,
because your glory is great.
6 Though the Lord is high above all, he cares for the lowly.
Though he is in heaven above, he sees them on earth below.
7 Trouble is all around me,
but you keep me alive.
You reach out your hand to put a stop to the anger of my enemies.
With your powerful right hand you save me.
8 Lord, you will show that I was right to trust you.
Lord, your faithful love continues forever.
You have done so much for us, so don’t stop now.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
139 Lord, you have seen what is in my heart.
You know all about me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I get up.
You know what I’m thinking even though you are far away.
3 You know when I go out to work and when I come back home.
You know exactly how I live.
4 Lord, even before I speak a word,
you know all about it.
5 You are all around me, behind me and in front of me.
You hold me safe in your hand.
6 I’m amazed at how well you know me.
It’s more than I can understand.
7 How can I get away from your Spirit?
Where can I go to escape from you?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there.
If I lie down in the deepest parts of the earth, you are also there.
9 Suppose I were to rise with the sun in the east.
Suppose I travel to the west where it sinks into the ocean.
10 Your hand would always be there to guide me.
Your right hand would still be holding me close.
11 Suppose I were to say, “I’m sure the darkness will hide me.
The light around me will become as dark as night.”
12 Even that darkness would not be dark to you.
The night would shine like the day,
because darkness is like light to you.
13 You created the deepest parts of my being.
You put me together inside my mother’s body.
14 How you made me is amazing and wonderful.
I praise you for that.
What you have done is wonderful.
I know that very well.
15 None of my bones was hidden from you
when you made me inside my mother’s body.
That place was as dark as the deepest parts of the earth.
When you were putting me together there,
16 your eyes saw my body even before it was formed.
You planned how many days I would live.
You wrote down the number of them in your book
before I had lived through even one of them.
17 God, your thoughts about me are priceless.
No one can possibly add them all up.
18 If I could count them,
they would be more than the grains of sand.
If I were to fall asleep counting and then wake up,
you would still be there with me.
19 God, I wish you would kill the people who are evil!
I wish those murderers would get away from me!
20 They are your enemies. They misuse your name.
They misuse it for their own evil purposes.
21 Lord, I really hate those who hate you!
I really hate those who rise up against you!
22 I have nothing but hatred for them.
I consider them to be my enemies.
23 God, see what is in my heart.
Know what is there.
Test me.
Know what I’m thinking.
24 See if there’s anything in my life you don’t like.
Help me live in the way that is always right.
For the director of music. A psalm of David.
140 Lord, save me from sinful people.
Keep me safe from those who want to hurt me.
2 They make evil plans in their hearts.
They are always starting fights.
3 Their tongues are as deadly as the tongue of a serpent.
The words from their lips are like the poison of a snake.
4 Lord, keep me safe from the hands of sinful people.
Protect me from those who want to hurt me.
They plan ways to trip me up and make me fall.
5 Proud people have hidden their traps to catch me.
They have spread out their nets.
They have set traps for me along my path.
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
Lord, hear my cry for mercy.
7 Lord and King, you save me because you are strong.
You are like a shield that keeps me safe in the day of battle.
8 Lord, don’t give sinners what they want.
Don’t let their plans succeed.
9 Those who are all around me proudly raise their heads.
May the trouble they planned for me happen to them.
10 May burning coals fall on people like that.
May they be thrown into the fire.
May they be thrown into muddy pits and never get out.
11 Don’t let people who lie about me be secure in the land.
May trouble hunt down those who want to hurt me.
12 I know that the Lord makes sure that poor people are treated fairly.
He stands up for those who are in need.
13 I’m sure that those who do right will praise your name.
Those who are honest will live with you.
A psalm of David.
141 I call out to you, Lord. Come quickly to help me.
Listen to me when I call out to you.
2 May my prayer come to you like the sweet smell of incense.
When I lift up my hands in prayer, may it be like the evening sacrifice.
3 Lord, guard my mouth.
Keep watch over the door of my lips.
4 Don’t let my heart be drawn to what is evil.
Don’t let me join with people who do evil.
Don’t let me eat their fancy food.
5 If a godly person hit me, it would be an act of kindness.
If they would correct me, it would be like pouring olive oil on my head.
I wouldn’t say no to it.
I will always pray against the things that sinful people do.
6 When their rulers are thrown down from the rocky cliffs,
those evil people will realize that my words were true.
7 They will say, “As clumps of dirt are left from plowing up the ground,
so our bones will be scattered near an open grave.”
8 But Lord and King, I keep looking to you for help.
I go to you for safety. Don’t let me die.
9 Keep me from the traps of those who do evil.
Save me from the traps they have set for me.
10 Let evil people fall into their own nets.
But let me go safely on my way.
A prayer of David when he was in the cave. A maskil.
142 I call out to the Lord.
I pray to him for mercy.
2 I pour out my problem to him.
I tell him about my trouble.
3 When I grow weak,
you are watching over my life.
In the path where I walk,
people have hidden a trap to catch me.
4 Look and see that no one is on my right side to help me.
No one is concerned about me.
I have no place of safety.
No one cares whether I live or die.
5 Lord, I cry out to you.
I say, “You are my place of safety.
You are everything I need in this life.”
6 Listen to my cry.
I am in great need.
Save me from those who are chasing me.
They are too strong for me.
7 My troubles are like a prison.
Set me free so I can praise your name.
Then those who do what is right will gather around me
because you have been good to me.
A psalm of David.
143 Lord, hear my prayer.
Listen to my cry for mercy.
You are faithful and right.
Come and help me.
2 Don’t take me to court and judge me,
because in your eyes no living person does what is right.
3 My enemies chase me.
They crush me down to the ground.
They make me live in the darkness
like those who died long ago.
4 So I grow weak.
Deep down inside me, I’m afraid.
5 I remember what happened long ago.
I spend time thinking about all your acts.
I consider what your hands have done.
6 I spread out my hands to you in prayer.
I’m thirsty for you, just as dry ground is thirsty for rain.
7 Lord, answer me quickly.
I’m growing weak.
Don’t turn your face away from me,
or I will be like those who go down into the grave.
8 In the morning let me hear about your faithful love,
because I’ve put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should live,
because I trust you with my life.
9 Lord, save me from my enemies,
because I go to you for safety.
10 Teach me to do what you want,
because you are my God.
May your good Spirit
lead me on a level path.
11 Lord, bring yourself honor by keeping me alive.
Because you do what is right, get me out of trouble.
12 Because your love is faithful, put an end to my enemies.
Destroy all of them, because I serve you.
A psalm of David.
144 Give praise to the Lord, my Rock.
He trains my hands for war.
He trains my fingers for battle.
2 He is my loving God and is like a fort to me.
He is my place of safety and the God who saves me.
He is like a shield that keeps me safe.
He brings nations under my control.
3 Lord, what are human beings that you take care of them?
What are mere people that you think about them?
4 Their lives don’t last any longer than a breath.
Their days are like a shadow that quickly disappears.
5 Lord, open up your heavens and come down.
Touch the mountains, and they will pour out smoke.
6 Send flashes of lightning and scatter my enemies.
Shoot your arrows and chase them away.
7 My enemies are like a mighty flood.
Reach down from heaven and save me.
Save me from outsiders who attack me.
8 They tell all kinds of lies with their mouths.
Even when they make a promise by raising their right hands, they don’t mean it.
9 My God, I will sing a new song to you.
I will make music to you on a lyre that has ten strings.
10 You are the God who helps kings win battles.
You save your servant David.
From death by the sword 11 save me.
Set me free from outsiders who attack me.
They tell all kinds of lies with their mouths.
Even when they make a promise by raising their right hands, they don’t mean it.
12 While our sons are young,
they will be like healthy plants.
Our daughters will be like pillars
that have been made to decorate a palace.
13 Our storerooms will be filled
with every kind of food.
The sheep in our fields will increase by thousands.
They will increase by tens of thousands.
14 Our oxen will pull heavy loads.
None of our city walls will be broken down.
No one will be carried off as a prisoner.
No cries of pain will be heard in our streets.
15 Blessed is the nation about whom all these things are true.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
A psalm of praise. A psalm of David.
145 I will honor you, my God the King.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
2 Every day I will praise you.
I will praise your name for ever and ever.
3 Lord, you are great. You are really worthy of praise.
No one can completely understand how great you are.
4 Parents praise your works to their children.
They tell about your mighty acts.
5 They speak about your glorious majesty.
I will spend time thinking about your wonderful deeds.
6 They speak about the powerful and wonderful things you do.
I will talk about the great things you have done.
7 They celebrate your great goodness.
They sing for joy about your holy acts.
8 The Lord is gracious, kind and tender.
He is slow to get angry and full of love.
9 The Lord is good to all.
He shows deep concern for everything he has made.
10 Lord, all your works praise you.
Your faithful people praise you.
11 They tell about your glorious kingdom.
They speak about your power.
12 Then all people will know about the mighty things you have done.
They will know about the glorious majesty of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is a kingdom that will last forever.
Your rule will continue for all time to come.
The Lord will keep all his promises.
He is faithful in everything he does.
14 The Lord takes good care of all those who fall.
He lifts up all those who feel helpless.
15 Every living thing looks to you for food.
You give it to them exactly when they need it.
16 You open your hand
and satisfy the needs of every living creature.
17 The Lord is right in everything he does.
He is faithful in everything he does.
18 The Lord is ready to help all those who call out to him.
He helps those who really mean it when they call out to him.
19 He satisfies the needs of those who have respect for him.
He hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord watches over all those who love him.
But he will destroy all sinful people.
21 I will praise the Lord with my mouth.
Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
146 Praise the Lord.
I will praise the Lord.
2 I will praise the Lord all my life.
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Don’t put your trust in human leaders.
Don’t trust in people who can’t save you.
4 When they die, they return to the ground.
On that day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed are those who depend on the God of Jacob for help.
Blessed are those who put their hope in the Lord their God.
6 He is the Maker of heaven and earth and the ocean.
He made everything in them.
He remains faithful forever.
7 He stands up for those who are treated badly.
He gives food to hungry people.
The Lord sets prisoners free.
8 The Lord gives sight to those who are blind.
The Lord lifts up those who feel helpless.
The Lord loves those who do what is right.
9 The Lord watches over the outsiders who live in our land.
He takes good care of children whose fathers have died.
He also takes good care of widows.
But he causes evil people to fail
in everything they do.
10 The Lord rules forever.
The God of Zion will rule for all time to come.
Praise the Lord.
147 Praise the Lord.
How good it is to sing praises to our God!
How pleasant and right it is to praise him!
2 The Lord builds up Jerusalem.
He gathers the scattered people of Israel.
3 He heals those who have broken hearts.
He takes care of their wounds.
4 He decides how many stars there should be.
He gives each one of them a name.
5 Great is our Lord. His power is mighty.
There is no limit to his understanding.
6 The Lord gives strength to those who aren’t proud.
But he throws evil people down to the ground.
7 Sing to the Lord and give him grateful praise.
Make music to our God on the harp.
8 He covers the sky with clouds.
He supplies the earth with rain.
He makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He provides food for the cattle.
He provides for the young ravens when they cry out.
10 He doesn’t take pleasure in the strength of horses.
He doesn’t take delight in the strong legs of warriors.
11 The Lord takes delight in those who have respect for him.
They put their hope in his faithful love.
12 Jerusalem, praise the Lord.
Zion, praise your God.
13 He makes the metal bars of your gates stronger.
He blesses the people who live inside you.
14 He keeps your borders safe and secure.
He satisfies you with the finest wheat.
15 He sends his command to the earth.
His word arrives there quickly.
16 He spreads the snow like wool.
He scatters the frost like ashes.
17 He throws down his hail like pebbles.
No one can stand his icy blast.
18 He gives his command, and the ice melts.
He stirs up his winds, and the waters flow.
19 He has made his word known to the people of Jacob.
He has made his laws and rules known to Israel.
20 He hasn’t done that for any other nation.
They don’t know his laws.
Praise the Lord.
148 Praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord from the heavens.
Praise him in the heavens above.
2 Praise him, all his angels.
Praise him, all his angels in heaven.
3 Praise him, sun and moon.
Praise him, all you shining stars.
4 Praise him, you highest heavens.
Praise him, you waters above the skies.
5 Let all of them praise the name of the Lord,
because at his command they were created.
6 He established them for ever and ever.
He gave them laws they will always have to obey.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all the deepest parts of the ocean.
8 Praise him, lightning and hail, snow and clouds.
Praise him, you stormy winds that obey him.
9 Praise him, all you mountains and hills.
Praise him, all you fruit trees and cedar trees.
10 Praise him, all you wild animals and cattle.
Praise him, you small creatures and flying birds.
11 Praise him, you kings of the earth and all nations.
Praise him, all you princes and rulers on earth.
12 Praise him, young men and women.
Praise him, old men and children.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord.
His name alone is honored.
His glory is higher than the earth and the heavens.
14 He has given his people a strong king.
All his faithful people praise him for that gift.
All the people of Israel are close to his heart.
Praise the Lord.
149 Praise the Lord.
Sing a new song to the Lord.
Sing praise to him in the assembly of his faithful people.
2 Let Israel be filled with joy because God is their Maker.
Let the people of Zion be glad because he is their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing.
Let them make music to him with harps and tambourines.
4 The Lord takes delight in his people.
He awards with victory those who are humble.
5 Let his faithful people be filled with joy because of that honor.
Let them sing for joy even when they are lying in bed.
6 May they praise God with their mouths.
May they hold in their hands a sword that has two edges.
7 Let them pay the nations back.
Let them punish the people of the earth.
8 Let them put the kings of those nations in chains.
Let them put their nobles in iron chains.
9 Let them carry out God’s sentence against those nations.
This will bring glory to all his faithful people.
Praise the Lord.
150 Praise the Lord.
Praise God in his holy temple.
Praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his powerful acts.
Praise him because he is greater than anything else.
3 Praise him by blowing trumpets.
Praise him with harps and lyres.
4 Praise him with tambourines and dancing.
Praise him with stringed instruments and flutes.
5 Praise him with clashing cymbals.
Praise him with clanging cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord.
Purpose
1 These are the proverbs of Solomon. He was the son of David and the king of Israel.
2 Proverbs teach you wisdom and instruct you.
They help you understand wise sayings.
3 They provide you with instruction and help you live wisely.
They lead to what is right and honest and fair.
4 They give understanding to childish people.
They give knowledge and good sense to those who are young.
5 Let wise people listen and add to what they have learned.
Let those who understand what is right get guidance.
6 What I’m teaching also helps you understand proverbs and stories.
It helps you understand the sayings and riddles of those who are wise.
7 If you really want to gain knowledge, you must begin by having respect for the Lord.
But foolish people hate wisdom and instruction.
Think and Live Wisely
A Warning Against Sinful Men
8 My son, listen to your father’s advice.
Don’t turn away from your mother’s teaching.
9 What they teach you will be like a beautiful crown on your head.
It will be like a chain to decorate your neck.
10 My son, if sinful men tempt you,
don’t give in to them.
11 They might say, “Come along with us.
Let’s hide and wait to kill someone who hasn’t done anything wrong.
Let’s catch some harmless person in our trap.
12 Let’s swallow them alive, as the grave does.
Let’s swallow them whole, like those who go down into the pit.
13 We’ll get all kinds of valuable things.
We’ll fill our houses with what we steal.
14 Cast lots with us for what they own.
We’ll share everything we take from them.”
15 My son, don’t go along with them.
Don’t even set your feet on their paths.
16 They are always in a hurry to sin.
They are quick to spill someone’s blood.
17 How useless it is to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18 Those who hide and wait will spill their own blood.
They will be caught in their own trap.
19 That’s what happens to everyone
who goes after money in the wrong way.
That kind of money takes away
the life of those who get it.
Wisdom’s Warning
20 Out in the open wisdom calls out.
She raises her voice in a public place.
21 On top of the city wall she cries out.
Here is what she says near the gate of the city.
22 “How long will you childish people love your childish ways?
How long will you rude people enjoy making fun of God and others?
How long will you foolish people hate knowledge?
23 Pay attention to my warning!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you.
I will make known to you my teachings.
24 But you refuse to listen when I call out to you.
No one pays attention when I reach out my hand.
25 You turn away from all my advice.
And you do not accept my warning.
26 So I will laugh at you when you are in danger.
I will make fun of you when hard times come.
27 I will laugh when hard times hit you like a storm.
I will laugh when danger comes your way like a windstorm.
I will make fun of you when suffering and trouble come.
28 “Then you will call to me. But I won’t answer.
You will look for me. But you won’t find me.
29 You hated knowledge.
You didn’t choose to have respect for the Lord.
30 You wouldn’t accept my advice.
You turned your backs on my warnings.
31 So you will eat the fruit of the way you have lived.
You will choke on the fruit of what you have planned.
32 “The wrong path that childish people take will kill them.
Foolish people will be destroyed by being satisfied with the way they live.
33 But those who listen to me will live in safety.
They will be at ease and have no fear of being harmed.”
Good Things Come From Wisdom
2 My son, accept my words.
Store up my commands inside you.
2 Let your ears listen to wisdom.
Apply your heart to understanding.
3 Call out for the ability to be wise.
Cry out for understanding.
4 Look for it as you would look for silver.
Search for it as you would search for hidden treasure.
5 Then you will understand how to have respect for the Lord.
You will find out how to know God.
6 The Lord gives wisdom.
Knowledge and understanding come from his mouth.
7 He stores up success for honest people.
He is like a shield to those who live without blame.
8 He guards the path of those who are honest.
He watches over the way of his faithful ones.
9 You will understand what is right and honest and fair.
You will understand the right way to live.
10 Your heart will become wise.
Your mind will delight in knowledge.
11 Good sense will keep you safe.
Understanding will guard you.
12 Wisdom will save you from the ways of evil men.
It will save you from men who twist their words.
13 Men like that have left the straight paths
to walk in dark ways.
14 They take delight in doing what is wrong.
They take joy in twisting everything around.
15 Their paths are crooked.
Their ways are not straight.
16 Wisdom will save you from a woman who commits adultery.
It will save you from a sinful woman and her tempting words.
17 She has left the man she married when she was young.
She has broken the promise she made in front of God.
18 Surely her house leads down to death.
Her paths lead to the spirits of the dead.
19 No one who goes to her comes back
or reaches the paths of life.
20 You will walk in the ways of good people.
You will follow the paths of those who do right.
21 Honest people will live in the land.
Those who are without blame will remain in it.
22 But sinners will be cut off from the land.
Those who aren’t faithful will be torn away from it.
More Good Things Come From Wisdom
3 My son, do not forget my teaching.
Keep my commands in your heart.
2 They will help you live for many years.
They will bring you peace and success.
3 Don’t let love and truth ever leave you.
Tie them around your neck.
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will find favor and a good name
in the eyes of God and people.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart.
Do not depend on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways obey him.
Then he will make your paths smooth and straight.
7 Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil.
8 That will bring health to your body.
It will make your bones strong.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth.
Give him the first share of all your crops.
10 Then your storerooms will be so full they can’t hold everything.
Your huge jars will spill over with fresh wine.
11 My son, do not hate the Lord’s training.
Do not object when he corrects you.
12 The Lord trains those he loves.
He is like a father who trains the son he is pleased with.
13 Blessed is the one who finds wisdom.
Blessed is the one who gains understanding.
14 Wisdom pays better than silver does.
She earns more than gold does.
15 She is worth more than rubies.
Nothing you want can compare with her.
16 Long life is in her right hand.
In her left hand are riches and honor.
17 Her ways are pleasant ways.
All her paths lead to peace.
18 She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her.
Those who hold her close will be blessed.
19 By wisdom the Lord laid the earth’s foundations.
Through understanding he set the heavens in place.
20 By his knowledge the seas were separated,
and the clouds dropped their dew.
21 My son, do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight.
Hold on to good sense and the understanding of what is right.
22 They will be life for you.
They will be like a gracious necklace around your neck.
23 Then you will go on your way in safety.
You will not trip and fall.
24 When you lie down, you won’t be afraid.
When you lie down, you will sleep soundly.
25 Don’t be terrified by sudden trouble.
Don’t be afraid when sinners are destroyed.
26 The Lord will be at your side.
He will keep your feet from being caught in a trap.
27 Don’t hold back good from those who are worthy of it.
Don’t hold it back when you can help.
28 Suppose you already have something to give.
Don’t say to your neighbor,
“Come back tomorrow.
I’ll give it to you then.”
29 Don’t plan to harm your neighbor.
He lives near you and trusts you.
30 Don’t bring charges against anyone for no reason.
They have not harmed you.
31 Don’t be jealous of a person who hurts others.
Don’t choose any of their ways.
32 The Lord really hates sinful people.
But he makes honest people his closest friends.
33 The Lord puts a curse on the houses of sinners.
But he blesses the homes of those who do what is right.
34 He makes fun of proud people who make fun of others.
But he gives grace to those who are humble and treated badly.
35 Wise people receive honor.
But foolish people get only shame.
Get Wisdom at Any Cost
4 My sons, listen to a father’s teaching.
Pay attention and gain understanding.
2 I give you good advice.
So don’t turn away from what I teach you.
3 I, too, was once a young boy in my father’s house.
And my mother loved me deeply.
4 Then my father taught me.
He said to me, “Take hold of my words with all your heart.
Keep my commands, and you will live.
5 Get wisdom, and get understanding.
Don’t forget my words or turn away from them.
6 Stay close to wisdom, and she will keep you safe.
Love her, and she will watch over you.
7 To start being wise you must first get wisdom.
No matter what it costs, get understanding.
8 Value wisdom highly, and she will lift you up.
Hold her close, and she will honor you.
9 She will set a beautiful crown on your head.
She will give you a glorious crown.”
10 My son, listen. Accept what I say.
Then you will live for many years.
11 I instruct you in the way of wisdom.
I lead you along straight paths.
12 When you walk, nothing will slow you down.
When you run, you won’t trip and fall.
13 Hold on to my teaching and don’t let it go.
Guard it well, because it is your life.
14 Don’t take the path of evil people.
Don’t live the way sinners do.
15 Stay away from their path and don’t travel on it.
Turn away from it and go on your way.
16 Sinners can’t rest until they do what is evil.
They can’t sleep until they make someone sin.
17 They do evil just as easily as they eat food.
They hurt others as easily as they drink wine.
18 The path of those who do right is like the sun in the morning.
It shines brighter and brighter until the full light of day.
19 But the way of those who do what is wrong is like deep darkness.
They don’t know what makes them trip and fall.
20 My son, pay attention to what I say.
Listen closely to my words.
21 Don’t let them out of your sight.
Keep them in your heart.
22 They are life to those who find them.
They are health to a person’s whole body.
23 Above everything else, guard your heart.
Everything you do comes from it.
24 Don’t speak with twisted words.
Keep evil talk away from your lips.
25 Let your eyes look straight ahead.
Keep looking right in front of you.
26 Think carefully about the paths that your feet walk on.
Always choose the right ways.
27 Don’t turn to the right or left.
Keep your feet from the path of evil.
A Warning Against Committing Adultery
5 My son, pay attention to my wisdom.
Listen carefully to my wise sayings.
2 Then you will continue to have good sense.
Your lips will keep on speaking words of knowledge.
3 A woman who commits adultery has lips that drip honey.
What she says is smoother than olive oil.
4 But in the end she is like bitter poison.
She cuts like a sword that has two edges.
5 Her feet go down to death.
Her steps lead straight to the grave.
6 She doesn’t give any thought to her way of life.
Her paths have no direction, but she doesn’t realize it.
7 My sons, listen to me.
Don’t turn away from what I say.
8 Stay on a path far away from that evil woman.
Don’t even go near the door of her house.
9 If you do, you will lose your honor to other people.
You will give your self-respect to someone who is mean.
10 Strangers will use up all your wealth.
Your hard work will make someone else rich.
11 At the end of your life you will groan.
Your skin and your body will be worn out.
12 You will say, “How I hated to take advice!
How my heart refused to be corrected!
13 I would not obey my teachers.
I wouldn’t listen to those who taught me.
14 I was soon in deep trouble.
It happened right in front of the whole assembly of God’s people.”
15 Drink water from your own well.
Drink running water from your own spring.
16 Should your springs pour out into the streets?
Should your streams of water pour out in public places?
17 No! Let them belong to you alone.
Never share them with strangers.
18 May your fountain be blessed.
May the wife you married when you were young make you happy.
19 She is like a loving doe, a graceful deer.
May her breasts always satisfy you.
May you always be captured by her love.
20 My son, why be captured by another man’s wife?
Why hug a woman who has gone astray?
21 The Lord watches your ways.
He studies all your paths.
22 Sinners are trapped by their own evil acts.
They are held tight by the ropes of their sins.
23 They will die because they refused to be corrected.
Their sins will capture them because they were very foolish.
Warnings Against Foolish Acts
6 My son, don’t promise to pay for what your neighbor owes.
Don’t agree to pay a stranger’s bill.
2 Don’t be trapped by what you have said.
Don’t be caught by the words of your mouth.
3 Instead, my son, do something to free yourself.
Don’t fall into your neighbor’s hands.
Go until you can’t go anymore.
Don’t let your neighbor rest.
4 Don’t let your eyes go to sleep.
Don’t let your eyelids close.
5 As a deer frees itself from a hunter, free yourself.
As a bird frees itself from a trapper, free yourself.
6 You people who don’t want to work, think about the ant!
Consider its ways and be wise!
7 It has no commander.
It has no leader or ruler.
8 But it stores up its food in summer.
It gathers its food at harvest time.
9 You lazy people, how long will you lie there?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 You might sleep a little or take a little nap.
You might even fold your hands and rest.
11 Then you would be poor, as if someone had robbed you.
You would have little, as if someone had stolen from you.
12 An evil troublemaker
goes around saying twisted things with his mouth.
13 He winks with his eyes.
He makes signals with his feet.
He motions with his fingers.
14 His plans are evil, and he has lies in his heart.
He is always stirring up fights.
15 Trouble will catch up with him in an instant.
He will suddenly be destroyed, and nothing can save him.
16 There are six things the Lord hates.
In fact, he hates seven things.
17 The Lord hates proud eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands that kill those who aren’t guilty.
18 He also hates hearts that make evil plans
and feet that are quick to do evil.
19 He hates any witness who pours out lies
and anyone who stirs up conflict in the community.
A Warning Against Committing Adultery
20 My son, keep your father’s command.
Don’t turn away from your mother’s teaching.
21 Always tie them on your heart.
Put them around your neck.
22 When you walk, they will guide you.
When you sleep, they will watch over you.
When you wake up, they will speak to you.
23 Your father’s command is like a lamp.
Your mother’s teaching is like a light.
And whatever instructs and corrects you
leads to life.
24 It keeps you from your neighbor’s wife.
It keeps you from the smooth talk of a woman who commits adultery.
25 Don’t hunger in your heart after her beauty.
Don’t let her eyes capture you.
26 A prostitute can be bought for only a loaf of bread.
But another man’s wife hunts your very life.
27 You can’t shovel fire into your lap
without burning your clothes.
28 You can’t walk on hot coals
without burning your feet.
29 It’s the same for anyone who has sex with another man’s wife.
Anyone who touches her will be punished.
30 People don’t hate a thief who steals
to fill his empty stomach.
31 But when he is caught, he must pay seven times as much as he stole.
It may even cost him everything he has.
32 A man who commits adultery has no sense.
Anyone who does it destroys himself.
33 He will be beaten up and dishonored.
His shame will never be wiped away.
34 Jealousy stirs up a husband’s anger.
He will show no mercy when he gets even.
35 He won’t accept any payment.
He won’t take any money, no matter how much he is offered.
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