19¹ Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity Than he who is perverse in speech and is a fool .

² Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge , And he who hurries his footsteps errs .

³ The foolishness of man ruins his way , And his heart rages against the Lord .

⁴ Wealth adds many friends , But a poor man is separated from his friend .

⁵ A false witness will not go unpunished , And he who tells lies will not escape .

⁶ Many will seek the favor of a generous man , And every man is a friend to him who gives gifts . ⁷ All the brothers of a poor man hate him; How much e more do his friends abandon him! He pursues them with words , but they are gone .

⁸ He who gets wisdom loves his own soul ; He who keeps understanding will find good .

⁹ A false witness will not go unpunished , And he who tells lies will perish .

¹⁰ Luxury is not fitting for a fool ; Much e less for a slave to rule over princes .

¹¹ A man's discretion makes him slow to anger , And it is his glory to overlook a transgression .

¹² The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion , But his favor is like dew on the grass .

¹³ A foolish son is destruction to his father , And the contentions of a wife are a constant dripping .

¹⁴ House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers , But a prudent wife is from the Lord .

¹⁵ Laziness casts into a deep sleep , And an idle man will suffer hunger .

¹⁶ He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul , But he who is careless of conduct will die .

¹⁷ One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord , And He will repay him for his good deed .

¹⁸ Discipline your son while there is hope , And do not desire e his death .

¹⁹ A man of great anger will bear the penalty , For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again .

²⁰ Listen to counsel and accept discipline , That you may be wise the rest of your days.

²¹ Many plans are in a man's heart , But the counsel of the Lord will stand .

²² What is desirable in a man is his kindness , And it is better to be a poor man than a liar e .

²³ The fear of the Lord leads to life , So that one may sleep satisfied , untouched e by evil .

²⁴ The sluggard buries his hand in the dish , But will not even bring it back to his mouth .

²⁵ Strike a scoffer and the naive may become shrewd , But reprove one who has understanding and he will gain knowledge .

²⁶ He who assaults his father and drives his mother away Is a shameful and disgraceful son .

²⁷ Cease listening , my son , to discipline , And you will stray from the words of knowledge .

²⁸ A rascally witness makes a mockery of justice , And the mouth of the wicked spreads iniquity .

²⁹ Judgments are prepared for scoffers , And blows for the back of fools .

20¹ Wine is a mocker , strong drink a brawler , And whoever is intoxicated by it is not wise .

² The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion ; He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life .

³ Keeping away from strife is an honor for a man , But any fool will quarrel .

⁴ The sluggard does not plow after the autumn , So he begs during the harvest and has nothing .

⁵ A plan in the heart of a man is like deep water , But a man of understanding draws it out.

⁶ Many a man proclaims his own loyalty , But who can find a trustworthy man ?

⁷ A righteous man who walks in his integrity - How blessed are his sons after him.

⁸ A king who sits on the throne of justice Disperses all evil with his eyes .

⁹ Who can say , "I have cleansed my heart , I am pure from my sin "?

¹⁰ Differing weights and differing measures , Both e of them are abominable to the Lord .

¹¹ It is by his deeds that a lad distinguishes himself If his conduct is pure and right .

¹² The hearing ear and the seeing eye , The Lord has made both e of them.

¹³ Do not love sleep , or you will become poor ; Open your eyes , and you will be satisfied with food .

¹⁴ "Bad , bad ," says the buyer , But when he goes his way , then he boasts .

¹⁵ There is gold , and an abundance of jewels ; But the lips of knowledge are a more precious thing .

¹⁶ Take his garment when he becomes surety for a stranger ; And for foreigners , hold him in pledge .

¹⁷ Bread obtained by falsehood is sweet to a man , But afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel .

¹⁸ Prepare plans by consultation , And make war by wise guidance .

¹⁹ He who goes about as a slanderer reveals secrets , Therefore do not associate with a gossip e .

²⁰ He who curses his father or his mother , His lamp will go out in time of darkness .

²¹ An inheritance gained hurriedly at the beginning Will not be blessed in the end .

²² Do not say , "I will repay evil "; Wait for the Lord , and He will save you.

²³ Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord , And a false scale is not good .

²⁴ Man's steps are ordained by the Lord , How then can man understand his way ?

²⁵ It is a trap for a man to say rashly , "It is holy !" And after the vows to make inquiry .

²⁶ A wise king winnows the wicked , And drives the threshing wheel over them.

²⁷ The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord , Searching all the innermost parts of his being .

²⁸ Loyalty and truth preserve the king , And he upholds his throne by righteousness .

²⁹ The glory of young men is their strength , And the honor of old men is their gray hair .

³⁰ Stripes that wound scour away evil , And strokes reach the innermost parts .

21¹ The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord ; He turns it wherever e e He wishes .

² Every man's way is right in his own eyes , But the Lord weighs the hearts .

³ To do righteousness and justice Is desired by the Lord more than sacrifice .

⁴ Haughty eyes and a proud heart , The lamp of the wicked , is sin .

⁵ The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage , But everyone who is hasty comes surely to poverty .

⁶ The acquisition of treasures by a lying tongue Is a fleeting vapor , the pursuit of death .

⁷ The violence of the wicked will drag them away , Because they refuse to act with justice .

⁸ The way of a guilty man is crooked , But as for the pure , his conduct is upright .

⁹ It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman .

¹⁰ The soul of the wicked desires evil ; His neighbor finds no favor in his eyes .

¹¹ When the scoffer is punished , the naive becomes wise ; But when the wise is instructed , he receives knowledge .

¹² The righteous one considers the house of the wicked , Turning the wicked to ruin .

¹³ He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be answered .

¹⁴ A gift in secret subdues anger , And a bribe in the bosom , strong wrath .

¹⁵ The exercise of justice is joy for the righteous , But is terror to the workers of iniquity .

¹⁶ A man who wanders from the way of understanding Will rest in the assembly of the dead .

¹⁷ He who loves pleasure will become a poor man ; He who loves wine and oil will not become rich .

¹⁸ The wicked is a ransom for the righteous , And the treacherous is in the place of the upright .

¹⁹ It is better to live in a desert land Than with a contentious and vexing woman .

²⁰ There is precious treasure and oil in the dwelling of the wise , But a foolish man swallows it up.

²¹ He who pursues righteousness and loyalty Finds life , righteousness and honor .

²² A wise man scales the city of the mighty And brings down the stronghold in which they trust .

²³ He who guards his mouth and his tongue , Guards his soul from troubles .

²⁴ "Proud ," "Haughty ," " Scoffer ," are his names , Who acts with insolent pride .

²⁵ The desire of the sluggard puts him to death , For his hands refuse to work ; ²⁶ All day long he is craving , While the righteous gives and does not hold back .

²⁷ The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination , How much e more e when he brings it with evil intent !

²⁸ A false witness will perish , But the man who listens to the truth will speak forever .

²⁹ A wicked man displays a bold face , But as for the upright , he makes his way sure .

³⁰ There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel against the Lord . ³¹ The horse is prepared for the day of battle , But victory belongs to the Lord .

7¹ Therefore , having these promises , beloved , let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit , perfecting holiness in the fear of God .

Paul's Joy at the Church's Repentance

² Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one , we corrupted no one , we took advantage of no one . ³ I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together . ⁴ Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf . I am filled with comfort ; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction .

⁵ For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest , but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts without , fears within . ⁶ But God , who comforts the depressed , comforted us by the coming of Titus ; ⁷ and not only by his coming , but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing , your mourning , your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more . ⁸ For though e I caused you sorrow by my letter , I do not regret it; though e I did regret it-for I see that that letter caused you sorrow , though e only for a while - ⁹ I now rejoice , not that you were made sorrowful , but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance ; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God , so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. ¹⁰ For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret , leading to salvation , but the sorrow of the world produces death . ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing , this godly e sorrow , has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation , what fear , what longing , what zeal , what avenging of wrong ! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter .

¹² So although e I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended , but that your earnestness on our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God . ¹³ For this reason we have been comforted . And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all . ¹⁴ For if in anything I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame ; but as we spoke all things to you in truth , so also our boasting before Titus proved to be the truth . ¹⁵ His affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the obedience of you all , how you received him with fear and trembling . ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.