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Here are more of Solomon's proverbs, copied by scribes at the court of King Hezekiah of Judah.
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We honor God for what he conceals; we honor kings for what they explain.
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You never know what a king is thinking; his thoughts are beyond us, like the heights of the sky or the depths of the ocean.
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Take the impurities out of silver and the artist can produce a thing of beauty.
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Keep evil advisers away from the king and his government will be known for its justice.
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When you stand before the king, don't try to impress him and pretend to be important.
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It is better to be asked to take a higher position than to be told to give your place to someone more important.
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Don't be too quick to go to court about something you have seen. If another witness later proves you wrong, what will you do then?
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If you and your neighbor have a difference of opinion, settle it between yourselves and do not reveal any secrets.
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Otherwise everyone will learn that you can't keep a secret, and you will never live down the shame.
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An idea well-expressed is like a design of gold, set in silver.
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A warning given by an experienced person to someone willing to listen is more valuable than gold rings or jewelry made of the finest gold.
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A reliable messenger is refreshing to the one who sends him, like cold water in the heat of harvest time.
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People who promise things that they never give are like clouds and wind that bring no rain.
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Patient persuasion can break down the strongest resistance and can even convince rulers.
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Never eat more honey than you need; too much may make you vomit.
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Don't visit your neighbors too often; they may get tired of you and come to hate you.
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A false accusation is as deadly as a sword, a club, or a sharp arrow.
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Depending on an unreliable person in a crisis is like trying to chew with a loose tooth or walk with a crippled foot.
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Singing to a person who is depressed is like taking off a person's clothes on a cold day or like rubbing salt in a wound.
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If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink.
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You will make them burn with shame, and the LORD will reward you.
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Gossip brings anger just as surely as the north wind brings rain.
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Better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife.
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Finally hearing good news from a distant land is like a drink of cold water when you are dry and thirsty.
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A good person who gives in to someone who is evil reminds you of a polluted spring or a poisoned well.
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Too much honey is bad for you, and so is trying to win too much praise.
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If you cannot control your anger, you are as helpless as a city without walls, open to attack.
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Praise for a fool is out of place, like snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
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Curses cannot hurt you unless you deserve them. They are like birds that fly by and never light.
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You have to whip a horse, you have to bridle a donkey, and you have to beat a fool.
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If you answer a silly question, you are just as silly as the person who asked it.
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Give a silly answer to a silly question, and the one who asked it will realize that he's not as smart as he thinks.
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If you let a fool deliver a message, you might as well cut off your own feet; you are asking for trouble.
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A fool can use a proverb about as well as crippled people can use their legs.
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Praising someone who is stupid makes as much sense as tying a stone in a sling.
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A fool quoting a wise saying reminds you of a drunk trying to pick a thorn out of his hand.
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An employer who hires any fool that comes along is only hurting everybody concerned.
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A fool doing some stupid thing a second time is like a dog going back to its vomit.
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The most stupid fool is better off than those who think they are wise when they are not.
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Why don't lazy people ever get out of the house? What are they afraid of ? Lions?
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Lazy people turn over in bed. They get no farther than a door swinging on its hinges.
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Some people are too lazy to put food in their own mouths.
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A lazy person will think he is smarter than seven men who can give good reasons for their opinions.
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Getting involved in an argument that is none of your business is like going down the street and grabbing a dog by the ears.
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Someone who tricks someone else and then claims that he was only joking is like a crazy person playing with a deadly weapon.
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Without wood, a fire goes out; without gossip, quarreling stops.
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Charcoal keeps the embers glowing, wood keeps the fire burning, and troublemakers keep arguments alive.
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Gossip is so tasty! How we love to swallow it!
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Insincere talk that hides what you are really thinking is like a fine glaze on a cheap clay pot.
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A hypocrite hides hate behind flattering words.
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They may sound fine, but don't believe him, because his heart is filled to the brim with hate.
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He may disguise his hatred, but everyone will see the evil things he does.
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People who set traps for others get caught themselves. People who start landslides get crushed.
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You have to hate someone to want to hurt him with lies. Insincere talk brings nothing but ruin.
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Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then.
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Let other people praise you---even strangers; never do it yourself.
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The weight of stone and sand is nothing compared to the trouble that stupidity can cause.
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Anger is cruel and destructive, but it is nothing compared to jealousy.
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Better to correct someone openly than to let him think you don't care for him at all.
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Friends mean well, even when they hurt you. But when an enemy puts his arm around your shoulder---watch out!
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When you are full, you will refuse honey, but when you are hungry, even bitter food tastes sweet.
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Anyone away from home is like a bird away from its nest.
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Perfume and fragrant oils make you feel happier, but trouble shatters your peace of mind.
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Do not forget your friends or your father's friends. If you are in trouble, don't ask a relative for help; a nearby neighbor can help you more than relatives who are far away.
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Be wise, my child, and I will be happy; I will have an answer for anyone who criticizes me.
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Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.
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Any people stupid enough to promise to be responsible for a stranger's debts deserve to have their own property held to guarantee payment.
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You might as well curse your friends as wake them up early in the morning with a loud greeting.
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A nagging wife is like water going drip-drip-drip on a rainy day.
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How can you keep her quiet? Have you ever tried to stop the wind or ever tried to hold a handful of oil?
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People learn from one another, just as iron sharpens iron.
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Take care of a fig tree and you will have figs to eat. Servants who take care of their master will be honored.
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It is your own face that you see reflected in the water and it is your own self that you see in your heart.
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Human desires are like the world of the dead---there is always room for more.
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Fire tests gold and silver; a person's reputation can also be tested.
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Even if you beat fools half to death, you still can't beat their foolishness out of them.
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Look after your sheep and cattle as carefully as you can,
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because wealth is not permanent. Not even nations last forever.
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You cut the hay and then cut the grass on the hillsides while the next crop of hay is growing.
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You can make clothes from the wool of your sheep and buy land with the money you get from selling some of your goats.
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The rest of the goats will provide milk for you and your family, and for your servant women as well.
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We who are strong in the faith ought to help the weak to carry their burdens. We should not please ourselves.
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Instead, we should all please other believers for their own good, in order to build them up in the faith.
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For Christ did not please himself. Instead, as the scripture says, "The insults which are hurled at you have fallen on me."
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Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.
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And may God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus,
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so that all of you together may praise with one voice the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
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Accept one another, then, for the glory of God, as Christ has accepted you.
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For I tell you that Christ's life of service was on behalf of the Jews, to show that God is faithful, to make his promises to their ancestors come true,
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and to enable even the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. As the scripture says, "And so I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing praises to you."
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Again it says, "Rejoice, Gentiles, with God's people!"
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And again, "Praise the Lord, all Gentiles; praise him, all peoples!"
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And again, Isaiah says, "A descendant of Jesse will appear; he will come to rule the Gentiles, and they will put their hope in him."
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May God, the source of hope, fill you with all joy and peace by means of your faith in him, so that your hope will continue to grow by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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My friends: I myself feel sure that you are full of goodness, that you have all knowledge, and that you are able to teach one another.
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But in this letter I have been quite bold about certain subjects of which I have reminded you. I have been bold because of the privilege God has given me
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of being a servant of Christ Jesus to work for the Gentiles. I serve like a priest in preaching the Good News from God, in order that the Gentiles may be an offering acceptable to God, dedicated to him by the Holy Spirit.
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In union with Christ Jesus, then, I can be proud of my service for God.
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I will be bold and speak only about what Christ has done through me to lead the Gentiles to obey God. He has done this by means of words and deeds,
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by the power of miracles and wonders, and by the power of the Spirit of God. And so, in traveling all the way from Jerusalem to Illyricum, I have proclaimed fully the Good News about Christ.
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My ambition has always been to proclaim the Good News in places where Christ has not been heard of, so as not to build on a foundation laid by someone else.
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As the scripture says, "Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand."
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And so I have been prevented many times from coming to you.
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But now that I have finished my work in these regions and since I have been wanting for so many years to come to see you,
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I hope to do so now. I would like to see you on my way to Spain, and be helped by you to go there, after I have enjoyed visiting you for a while.
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Right now, however, I am going to Jerusalem in the service of God's people there.
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For the churches in Macedonia and Achaia have freely decided to give an offering to help the poor among God's people in Jerusalem.
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That decision was their own; but, as a matter of fact, they have an obligation to help them. Since the Jews shared their spiritual blessings with the Gentiles, the Gentiles ought to use their material blessings to help the Jews.
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When I have finished this task and have turned over to them all the money that has been raised for them, I shall leave for Spain and visit you on my way there.
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When I come to you, I know that I shall come with a full measure of the blessing of Christ.
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I urge you, friends, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love that the Spirit gives: join me in praying fervently to God for me.
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Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to God's people there.
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And so I will come to you full of joy, if it is God's will, and enjoy a refreshing visit with you.
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May God, our source of peace, be with all of you. Amen.
