Proverbs 13; Proverbs 14; Proverbs 15; 2 Corinthians 5

1 Wise children take their parents' advice, but whoever makes fun of wisdom won't listen to correction.

2 People will be rewarded for what they say, but those who can't be trusted want only violence.

3 Those who are careful about what they say protect their lives, but whoever speaks without thinking will be ruined.

4 The lazy will not get what they want, but those who work hard will.

5 Good people hate what is false, but the wicked do shameful and disgraceful things.

6 Doing what is right protects the honest person, but doing evil ruins the sinner.

7 Some people pretend to be rich but really have nothing. Others pretend to be poor but really are wealthy.

8 The rich may have to pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor will face no such danger.

9 Good people can look forward to a bright future, but the future of the wicked is like a flame going out.

10 Pride only leads to arguments, but those who take advice are wise.

11 Money that comes easily disappears quickly, but money that is gathered little by little will grow.

12 It is sad not to get what you hoped for. But wishes that come true are like eating fruit from the tree of life.

13 Those who reject what they are taught will pay for it, but those who obey what they are told will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of a wise person gives life. It is like a fountain that can save people from death.

15 People with good understanding will be well liked, but the lives of those who are not trustworthy are hard.

16 Every wise person acts with good sense, but fools show how foolish they are.

17 A wicked messenger brings nothing but trouble, but a trustworthy one makes everything right.

18 A person who refuses correction will end up poor and disgraced, but the one who accepts correction will be honored.

19 It is so good when wishes come true, but fools hate to stop doing evil.

20 Spend time with the wise and you will become wise, but the friends of fools will suffer.

21 Trouble always comes to sinners, but good people enjoy success.

22 Good people leave their wealth to their grandchildren, but a sinner's wealth is stored up for good people.

23 A poor person's field might produce plenty of food, but others often steal it away.

24 If you do not punish your children, you don't love them, but if you love your children, you will correct them.

25 Good people have enough to eat, but the wicked will go hungry.

1 A wise woman strengthens her family, but a foolish woman destroys hers by what she does.

2 People who live good lives respect the Lord, but those who live evil lives don't.

3 Fools will be punished for their proud words, but the words of the wise will protect them.

4 When there are no oxen, no food is in the barn. But with a strong ox, much grain can be grown.

5 A truthful witness does not lie, but a false witness tells nothing but lies.

6 Those who make fun of wisdom look for it and do not find it, but knowledge comes easily to those with understanding.

7 Stay away from fools, because they can't teach you anything.

8 A wise person will understand what to do, but a foolish person is dishonest.

9 Fools don't care if they sin, but honest people work at being right.

10 No one else can know your sadness, and strangers cannot share your joy.

11 The wicked person's house will be destroyed, but a good person's tent will still be standing.

12 Some people think they are doing right, but in the end it leads to death.

13 Someone who is laughing may be sad inside, and joy may end in sadness.

14 Evil people will be paid back for their evil ways, and good people will be rewarded for their good ones.

15 Fools will believe anything, but the wise think about what they do.

16 Wise people are careful and stay out of trouble, but fools are careless and quick to act.

17 Someone with a quick temper does foolish things, but someone with understanding remains calm.

18 Fools are rewarded with nothing but more foolishness, but the wise are rewarded with knowledge.

19 Evil people will bow down to those who are good; the wicked will bow down at the door of those who do right.

20 The poor are rejected, even by their neighbors, but the rich have many friends.

21 It is a sin to hate your neighbor, but being kind to the needy brings happiness.

22 Those who make evil plans will be ruined, but those who plan to do good will be loved and trusted.

23 Those who work hard make a profit, but those who only talk will be poor.

24 Wise people are rewarded with wealth, but fools only get more foolishness.

25 A truthful witness saves lives, but a false witness is a traitor.

26 Those who respect the Lord will have security, and their children will be protected.

27 Respect for the Lord gives life. It is like a fountain that can save people from death.

28 A king is honored when he has many people to rule, but a prince is ruined if he has none.

29 Patient people have great understanding, but people with quick tempers show their foolishness.

30 Peace of mind means a healthy body, but jealousy will rot your bones.

31 Whoever mistreats the poor insults their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

32 The wicked are ruined by their own evil, but those who do right are protected even in death.

33 Wisdom lives in those with understanding, and even fools recognize it.

34 Doing what is right makes a nation great, but sin will bring disgrace to any people.

35 A king is pleased with a wise servant, but he will become angry with one who causes him shame.

1 A gentle answer will calm a person's anger, but an unkind answer will cause more anger.

2 Wise people use knowledge when they speak, but fools pour out foolishness.

3 The Lord's eyes see everything; he watches both evil and good people.

4 As a tree gives fruit, healing words give life, but dishonest words crush the spirit.

5 Fools reject their parents' correction, but anyone who accepts correction is wise.

6 Much wealth is in the houses of good people, but evil people get nothing but trouble.

7 Wise people use their words to spread knowledge, but there is no knowledge in the thoughts of fools.

8 The Lord hates the sacrifice that the wicked offer, but he likes the prayers of honest people.

9 The Lord hates what evil people do, but he loves those who do what is right.

10 The person who quits doing what is right will be punished, and the one who hates to be corrected will die.

11 The Lord knows what is happening in the world of the dead, so he surely knows the thoughts of the living.

12 Those who make fun of wisdom don't like to be corrected; they will not ask the wise for advice.

13 Happiness makes a person smile, but sadness can break a person's spirit.

14 People with understanding want more knowledge, but fools just want more foolishness.

15 Every day is hard for those who suffer, but a happy heart is like a continual feast.

16 It is better to be poor and respect the Lord than to be wealthy and have much trouble.

17 It is better to eat vegetables with those who love you than to eat meat with those who hate you.

18 People with quick tempers cause trouble, but those who control their tempers stop a quarrel.

19 A lazy person's life is like a patch of thorns, but an honest person's life is like a smooth highway.

20 A wise son makes his father happy, but a foolish son disrespects his mother.

21 A person without wisdom enjoys being foolish, but someone with understanding does what is right.

22 Plans fail without good advice, but they succeed with the advice of many others.

23 People enjoy giving good advice. Saying the right word at the right time is so pleasing.

24 Wise people's lives get better and better. They avoid whatever would cause their death.

25 The Lord will tear down the proud person's house, but he will protect the widow's property.

26 The Lord hates evil thoughts but is pleased with kind words.

27 Greedy people bring trouble to their families, but the person who can't be paid to do wrong will live.

28 Good people think before they answer, but the wicked simply pour out evil.

29 The Lord does not listen to the wicked, but he hears the prayers of those who do right.

30 Good news makes you feel better. Your happiness will show in your eyes.

31 If you listen to correction to improve your life, you will live among the wise.

32 Those who refuse correction hate themselves, but those who accept correction gain understanding.

33 Respect for the Lord will teach you wisdom. If you want to be honored, you must be humble.

1 We know that our body -- the tent we live in here on earth -- will be destroyed. But when that happens, God will have a house for us. It will not be a house made by human hands; instead, it will be a home in heaven that will last forever.

2 But now we groan in this tent. We want God to give us our heavenly home,

3 because it will clothe us so we will not be naked.

4 While we live in this body, we have burdens, and we groan. We do not want to be naked, but we want to be clothed with our heavenly home. Then this body that dies will be fully covered with life.

5 This is what God made us for, and he has given us the Spirit to be a guarantee for this new life.

6 So we always have courage. We know that while we live in this body, we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by what we believe, not by what we can see.

8 So I say that we have courage. We really want to be away from this body and be at home with the Lord.

9 Our only goal is to please God whether we live here or there,

10 because we must all stand before Christ to be judged. Each of us will receive what we should get -- good or bad -- for the things we did in the earthly body.

11 Since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to help people accept the truth about us. God knows what we really are, and I hope that in your hearts you know, too.

12 We are not trying to prove ourselves to you again, but we are telling you about ourselves so you will be proud of us. Then you will have an answer for those who are proud about things that can be seen rather than what is in the heart.

13 If we are out of our minds, it is for God. If we have our right minds, it is for you.

14 The love of Christ controls us, because we know that One died for all, so all have died.

15 Christ died for all so that those who live would not continue to live for themselves. He died for them and was raised from the dead so that they would live for him.

16 From this time on we do not think of anyone as the world does. In the past we thought of Christ as the world thinks, but we no longer think of him in that way.

17 If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new!

18 All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him.

19 God was in Christ, making peace between the world and himself. In Christ, God did not hold the world guilty of its sins. And he gave us this message of peace.

20 So we have been sent to speak for Christ. It is as if God is calling to you through us. We speak for Christ when we beg you to be at peace with God.

21 Christ had no sin, but God made him become sin so that in Christ we could become right with God.