1
We may make our plans, but God has the last word.
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You may think everything you do is right, but the LORD judges your motives.
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Ask the LORD to bless your plans, and you will be successful in carrying them out.
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Everything the LORD has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.
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The LORD hates everyone who is arrogant; he will never let them escape punishment.
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Be loyal and faithful, and God will forgive your sin. Obey the LORD and nothing evil will happen to you.
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When you please the LORD, you can make your enemies into friends.
8
It is better to have a little, honestly earned, than to have a large income, dishonestly gained.
9
You may make your plans, but God directs your actions.
10
The king speaks with divine authority; his decisions are always right.
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The LORD wants weights and measures to be honest and every sale to be fair.
12
Kings cannot tolerate evil, because justice is what makes a government strong.
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A king wants to hear the truth and will favor those who speak it.
14
A wise person will try to keep the king happy; if the king becomes angry, someone may die.
15
The king's favor is like the clouds that bring rain in the springtime---life is there.
16
It is better---much better---to have wisdom and knowledge than gold and silver.
17
Those who are good travel a road that avoids evil; so watch where you are going---it may save your life.
18
Pride leads to destruction, and arrogance to downfall.
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It is better to be humble and stay poor than to be one of the arrogant and get a share of their loot.
20
Pay attention to what you are taught, and you will be successful; trust in the LORD and you will be happy.
21
A wise, mature person is known for his understanding. The more pleasant his words, the more persuasive he is.
22
Wisdom is a fountain of life to the wise, but trying to educate stupid people is a waste of time.
23
Intelligent people think before they speak; what they say is then more persuasive.
24
Kind words are like honey---sweet to the taste and good for your health.
25
What you think is the right road may lead to death.
26
A laborer's appetite makes him work harder, because he wants to satisfy his hunger.
27
Evil people look for ways to harm others; even their words burn with evil.
28
Gossip is spread by wicked people; they stir up trouble and break up friendships.
29
Violent people deceive their friends and lead them to disaster.
30
Watch out for people who grin and wink at you; they have thought of something evil.
31
Long life is the reward of the righteous; gray hair is a glorious crown.
32
It is better to be patient than powerful. It is better to win control over yourself than over whole cities.
33
People cast lots to learn God's will, but God himself determines the answer.
1
Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
2
A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.
3
Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the LORD.
4
Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.
5
If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.
6
Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.
7
Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.
8
Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.
9
If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
10
An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.
11
Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
12
It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.
13
If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
14
The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.
15
Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go---both are hateful to the LORD.
16
It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.
17
Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
18
Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.
19
To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.
20
Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good---only disaster.
21
There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.
22
Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
23
Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.
24
An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
25
Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.
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It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.
27
Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight.
28
After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
1
People who do not get along with others are interested only in themselves; they will disagree with what everyone else knows is right.
2
A fool does not care whether he understands a thing or not; all he wants to do is show how smart he is.
3
Sin and shame go together. Lose your honor, and you will get scorn in its place.
4
A person's words can be a source of wisdom, deep as the ocean, fresh as a flowing stream.
5
It is not right to favor the guilty and keep the innocent from receiving justice.
6
When some fool starts an argument, he is asking for a beating.
7
When a fool speaks, he is ruining himself; he gets caught in the trap of his own words.
8
Gossip is so tasty---how we love to swallow it!
9
A lazy person is as bad as someone who is destructive.
10
The LORD is like a strong tower, where the righteous can go and be safe.
11
Rich people, however, imagine that their wealth protects them like high, strong walls around a city.
12
No one is respected unless he is humble; arrogant people are on the way to ruin.
13
Listen before you answer. If you don't, you are being stupid and insulting.
14
Your will to live can sustain you when you are sick, but if you lose it, your last hope is gone.
15
Intelligent people are always eager and ready to learn.
16
Do you want to meet an important person? Take a gift and it will be easy.
17
The first person to speak in court always seems right until his opponent begins to question him.
18
If two powerful people are opposing each other in court, casting lots can settle the issue.
19
Help your relatives and they will protect you like a strong city wall, but if you quarrel with them, they will close their doors to you.
20
You will have to live with the consequences of everything you say.
21
What you say can preserve life or destroy it; so you must accept the consequences of your words.
22
Find a wife and you find a good thing; it shows that the LORD is good to you.
23
When the poor speak, they have to be polite, but when the rich answer, they are rude.
24
Some friendships do not last, but some friends are more loyal than brothers.
1
So then, my friends, because of God's great mercy to us I appeal to you: Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to his service and pleasing to him. This is the true worship that you should offer.
2
Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God---what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.
3
And because of God's gracious gift to me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you should. Instead, be modest in your thinking, and judge yourself according to the amount of faith that God has given you.
4
We have many parts in the one body, and all these parts have different functions.
5
In the same way, though we are many, we are one body in union with Christ, and we are all joined to each other as different parts of one body.
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So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God's message, we should do it according to the faith that we have;
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if it is to serve, we should serve; if it is to teach, we should teach;
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if it is to encourage others, we should do so. Whoever shares with others should do it generously; whoever has authority should work hard; whoever shows kindness to others should do it cheerfully.
9
Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.
10
Love one another warmly as Christians, and be eager to show respect for one another.
11
Work hard and do not be lazy. Serve the Lord with a heart full of devotion.
12
Let your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at all times.
13
Share your belongings with your needy fellow Christians, and open your homes to strangers.
14
Ask God to bless those who persecute you---yes, ask him to bless, not to curse.
15
Be happy with those who are happy, weep with those who weep.
16
Have the same concern for everyone. Do not be proud, but accept humble duties. Do not think of yourselves as wise.
17
If someone has done you wrong, do not repay him with a wrong. Try to do what everyone considers to be good.
18
Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.
19
Never take revenge, my friends, but instead let God's anger do it. For the scripture says, "I will take revenge, I will pay back, says the Lord."
20
Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame."
21
Do not let evil defeat you; instead, conquer evil with good.
