Tag Archives: 119 Ministries

1 Choose a good reputation over great riches;
    being held in high esteem is better than silver or gold.

² The rich and poor have this in common:
    The Lord made them both.

³ A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions.
    The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.

⁴ True humility and fear of the Lord
    lead to riches, honor, and long life.

⁵ Corrupt people walk a thorny, treacherous road;
    whoever values life will avoid it.

⁶ Direct your children onto the right path,
    and when they are older, they will not leave it.

⁷ Just as the rich rule the poor,
    so the borrower is servant to the lender.

⁸ Those who plant injustice will harvest disaster,
    and their reign of terror will come to an end.^[a]

⁹ Blessed are those who are generous,
    because they feed the poor.

¹⁰ Throw out the mocker, and fighting goes, too.
    Quarrels and insults will disappear.

¹¹ Whoever loves a pure heart and gracious speech
    will have the king as a friend.

¹² The Lord preserves those with knowledge,
    but he ruins the plans of the treacherous.

¹³ The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion out there!
    If I go outside, I might be killed!”

¹⁴ The mouth of an immoral woman is a dangerous trap;
    those who make the Lord angry will fall into it.

¹⁵ A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness,
    but physical discipline will drive it far away.

¹⁶ A person who gets ahead by oppressing the poor
    or by showering gifts on the rich will end in poverty.

²² Don’t rob the poor just because you can,
    or exploit the needy in court.
²³ For the Lord is their defender.
    He will ruin anyone who ruins them.

²⁴ Don’t befriend angry people
    or associate with hot-tempered people,
²⁵ or you will learn to be like them
    and endanger your soul.

²⁶ Don’t agree to guarantee another person’s debt
    or put up security for someone else.
²⁷ If you can’t pay it,
    even your bed will be snatched from under you.

²⁸ Don’t cheat your neighbor by moving the ancient boundary markers
    set up by previous generations.

²⁹ Do you see any truly competent workers?
    They will serve kings
    rather than working for ordinary people.

1 Better to be poor and honest
    than to be dishonest and a fool.

² Enthusiasm without knowledge is no good;
    haste makes mistakes.

³ People ruin their lives by their own foolishness
    and then are angry at the Lord.

⁴ Wealth makes many “friends”;
    poverty drives them all away.

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished,
    nor will a liar escape.

⁶ Many seek favors from a ruler;
    everyone is the friend of a person who gives gifts!

⁷ The relatives of the poor despise them;
    how much more will their friends avoid them!
Though the poor plead with them,
    their friends are gone.

⁸ To acquire wisdom is to love yourself;
    people who cherish understanding will prosper.

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished,
    and a liar will be destroyed.

¹⁰ It isn’t right for a fool to live in luxury
    or for a slave to rule over princes!

¹¹ Sensible people control their temper;
    they earn respect by overlooking wrongs.

¹² The king’s anger is like a lion’s roar,
    but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³ A foolish child^[a] is a calamity to a father;
    a quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping.

¹⁴ Fathers can give their sons an inheritance of houses and wealth,
    but only the Lord can give an understanding wife.

¹⁵ Lazy people sleep soundly,
    but idleness leaves them hungry.

¹⁶ Keep the commandments and keep your life;
    despising them leads to death.

¹⁷ If you help the poor, you are lending to the Lord—
    and he will repay you!

¹⁸ Discipline your children while there is hope.
    Otherwise you will ruin their lives.

¹⁹ Hot-tempered people must pay the penalty.
    If you rescue them once, you will have to do it again.

²⁰ Get all the advice and instruction you can,
    so you will be wise the rest of your life.

²¹ You can make many plans,
    but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

²² Loyalty makes a person attractive.
    It is better to be poor than dishonest.

²³ Fear of the Lord leads to life,
    bringing security and protection from harm.

²⁴ Lazy people take food in their hand
    but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

²⁵ If you punish a mocker, the simpleminded will learn a lesson;
    if you correct the wise, they will be all the wiser.

²⁶ Children who mistreat their father or chase away their mother
    are an embarrassment and a public disgrace.

²⁷ If you stop listening to instruction, my child,
    you will turn your back on knowledge.

²⁸ A corrupt witness makes a mockery of justice;
    the mouth of the wicked gulps down evil.

²⁹ Punishment is made for mockers,
    and the backs of fools are made to be beaten.

1 Better a dry crust eaten in peace
    than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.

² A wise servant will rule over the master’s disgraceful son
    and will share the inheritance of the master’s children.

³ Fire tests the purity of silver and gold,
    but the Lord tests the heart.

⁴ Wrongdoers eagerly listen to gossip;
    liars pay close attention to slander.

⁵ Those who mock the poor insult their Maker;
    those who rejoice at the misfortune of others will be punished.

⁶ Grandchildren are the crowning glory of the aged;
    parents^[a] are the pride of their children.

⁷ Eloquent words are not fitting for a fool;
    even less are lies fitting for a ruler.

⁸ A bribe is like a lucky charm;
    whoever gives one will prosper!

⁹ Love prospers when a fault is forgiven,
    but dwelling on it separates close friends.

¹⁰ A single rebuke does more for a person of understanding
    than a hundred lashes on the back of a fool.

¹¹ Evil people are eager for rebellion,
    but they will be severely punished.

¹² It is safer to meet a bear robbed of her cubs
    than to confront a fool caught in foolishness.

¹³ If you repay good with evil,
    evil will never leave your house.

¹⁴ Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate,
    so stop before a dispute breaks out.

¹⁵ Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent—
    both are detestable to the Lord.

¹⁶ It is senseless to pay to educate a fool,
    since he has no heart for learning.

¹⁷ A friend is always loyal,
    and a brother is born to help in time of need.

¹⁸ It’s poor judgment to guarantee another person’s debt
    or put up security for a friend.

¹⁹ Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin;
    anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.

²⁰ The crooked heart will not prosper;
    the lying tongue tumbles into trouble.

²¹ It is painful to be the parent of a fool;
    there is no joy for the father of a rebel.

²² A cheerful heart is good medicine,
    but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength.

²³ The wicked take secret bribes
    to pervert the course of justice.

²⁴ Sensible people keep their eyes glued on wisdom,
    but a fool’s eyes wander to the ends of the earth.

²⁵ Foolish children^[b] bring grief to their father
    and bitterness to the one who gave them birth.

²⁶ It is wrong to punish the godly for being good
    or to flog leaders for being honest.

²⁷ A truly wise person uses few words;
    a person with understanding is even-tempered.

²⁸ Even fools are thought wise when they keep silent;
    with their mouths shut, they seem intelligent.

1 We can make our own plans,
    but the Lord gives the right answer.

² People may be pure in their own eyes,
    but the Lord examines their motives.

³ Commit your actions to the Lord,
    and your plans will succeed.

⁴ The Lord has made everything for his own purposes,
    even the wicked for a day of disaster.

⁵ The Lord detests the proud;
    they will surely be punished.

⁶ Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin.
    By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil.

⁷ When people’s lives please the Lord,
    even their enemies are at peace with them.

⁸ Better to have little, with godliness,
    than to be rich and dishonest.

⁹ We can make our plans,
    but the Lord determines our steps.

¹⁰ The king speaks with divine wisdom;
    he must never judge unfairly.

¹¹ The Lord demands accurate scales and balances;
    he sets the standards for fairness.

¹² A king detests wrongdoing,
    for his rule is built on justice.

¹³ The king is pleased with words from righteous lips;
    he loves those who speak honestly.

¹⁴ The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
    the wise will try to appease it.

¹⁵ When the king smiles, there is life;
    his favor refreshes like a spring rain.

¹⁶ How much better to get wisdom than gold,
    and good judgment than silver!

¹⁷ The path of the virtuous leads away from evil;
    whoever follows that path is safe.

¹⁸ Pride goes before destruction,
    and haughtiness before a fall.

¹⁹ Better to live humbly with the poor
    than to share plunder with the proud.

²⁰ Those who listen to instruction will prosper;
    those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

²¹ The wise are known for their understanding,
    and pleasant words are persuasive.

²² Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,
    but discipline is wasted on fools.

²³ From a wise mind comes wise speech;
    the words of the wise are persuasive.

²⁴ Kind words are like honey—
    sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.

²⁵ There is a path before each person that seems right,
    but it ends in death.

²⁶ It is good for workers to have an appetite;
    an empty stomach drives them on.

²⁷ Scoundrels create trouble;
    their words are a destructive blaze.

²⁸ A troublemaker plants seeds of strife;
    gossip separates the best of friends.

²⁹ Violent people mislead their companions,
    leading them down a harmful path.

³⁰ With narrowed eyes, people plot evil;
    with a smirk, they plan their mischief.

³¹ Gray hair is a crown of glory;
    it is gained by living a godly life.

³² Better to be patient than powerful;
    better to have self-control than to conquer a city.

³³ We may throw the dice,^[a]
    but the Lord determines how they fall.

1 A gentle answer deflects anger,
    but harsh words make tempers flare.

² The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing,
    but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

³ The Lord is watching everywhere,
    keeping his eye on both the evil and the good.

⁴ Gentle words are a tree of life;
    a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.

⁵ Only a fool despises a parent’s^[a] discipline;
    whoever learns from correction is wise.

⁶ There is treasure in the house of the godly,
    but the earnings of the wicked bring trouble.

⁷ The lips of the wise give good advice;
    the heart of a fool has none to give.

⁸ The Lord detests the sacrifice of the wicked,
    but he delights in the prayers of the upright.

⁹ The Lord detests the way of the wicked,
    but he loves those who pursue godliness.

¹⁰ Whoever abandons the right path will be severely disciplined;
    whoever hates correction will die.

¹¹ Even Death and Destruction^[b] hold no secrets from the Lord.
    How much more does he know the human heart!

¹² Mockers hate to be corrected,
    so they stay away from the wise.

¹³ A glad heart makes a happy face;
    a broken heart crushes the spirit.

¹⁴ A wise person is hungry for knowledge,
    while the fool feeds on trash.

¹⁵ For the despondent, every day brings trouble;
    for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.

¹⁶ Better to have little, with fear for the Lord,
    than to have great treasure and inner turmoil.

¹⁷ A bowl of vegetables with someone you love
    is better than steak with someone you hate.

¹⁸ A hot-tempered person starts fights;
    a cool-tempered person stops them.

¹⁹ A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
    but the path of the upright is an open highway.

²⁰ Sensible children bring joy to their father;
    foolish children despise their mother.

²¹ Foolishness brings joy to those with no sense;
    a sensible person stays on the right path.

²² Plans go wrong for lack of advice;
    many advisers bring success.

²³ Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
    it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!

²⁴ The path of life leads upward for the wise;
    they leave the grave^[c] behind.

²⁵ The Lord tears down the house of the proud,
    but he protects the property of widows.

²⁶ The Lord detests evil plans,
    but he delights in pure words.

²⁷ Greed brings grief to the whole family,
    but those who hate bribes will live.

²⁸ The heart of the godly thinks carefully before speaking;
    the mouth of the wicked overflows with evil words.

²⁹ The Lord is far from the wicked,
    but he hears the prayers of the righteous.

³⁰ A cheerful look brings joy to the heart;
    good news makes for good health.

³¹ If you listen to constructive criticism,
    you will be at home among the wise.

³² If you reject discipline, you only harm yourself;
    but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.

³³ Fear of the Lord teaches wisdom;
    humility precedes honor.