Proverbs 3; Proverbs 4; Proverbs 5; 2 Corinthians 1

Proverbs 3

1 My child, don't forget what I teach you. Always remember what I tell you to do.

2 My teaching will give you a long and prosperous life.

3 Never let go of loyalty and faithfulness. Tie them around your neck; write them on your heart.

4 If you do this, both God and people will be pleased with you.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Never rely on what you think you know.

6 Remember the Lord in everything you do, and he will show you the right way.

7 Never let yourself think that you are wiser than you are; simply obey the Lord and refuse to do wrong.

8 If you do, it will be like good medicine, healing your wounds and easing your pains.

9 Honor the Lord by making him an offering from the best of all that your land produces.

10 If you do, your barns will be filled with grain, and you will have too much wine to store it all.

11 My child, when the Lord corrects you, pay close attention and take it as a warning.

12 The Lord corrects those he loves, as parents correct a child of whom they are proud.

13 Happy is anyone who becomes wise - who comes to have understanding.

14 There is more profit in it than there is in silver; it is worth more to you than gold.

15 Wisdom is more valuable than jewels; nothing you could want can compare with it.

16 Wisdom offers you long life, as well as wealth and honor.

17 Wisdom can make your life pleasant and lead you safely through it.

18 Those who become wise are happy; wisdom will give them life.

19 The Lord created the earth by his wisdom; by his knowledge he set the sky in place.

20 His wisdom caused the rivers to flow and the clouds to give rain to the earth.

21 My child, hold on to your wisdom and insight. Never let them get away from you.

22 They will provide you with life - a pleasant and happy life.

23 You can go safely on your way and never even stumble.

24 You will not be afraid when you go to bed, and you will sleep soundly through the night.

25 You will not have to worry about sudden disasters, such as come on the wicked like a storm.

26 The Lord will keep you safe. He will not let you fall into a trap.

27 Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it.

28 Never tell your neighbors to wait until tomorrow if you can help them now.

29 Don't plan anything that will hurt your neighbors; they live beside you, trusting you.

30 Don't argue with others for no reason when they have never done you any harm.

31 Don't be jealous of violent people or decide to act as they do,

32 because the Lord hates people who do evil, but he takes righteous people into his confidence.

33 The Lord puts a curse on the homes of the wicked, but blesses the homes of the righteous.

34 He has no use for conceited people, but shows favor to those who are humble.

35 Wise people will gain an honorable reputation, but stupid people will only add to their own disgrace.

Proverbs 4

1 My children, listen to what your father teaches you. Pay attention, and you will have understanding.

2 What I am teaching you is good, so remember it all.

3 When I was only a little boy, my parents' only son,

4 my father would teach me. He would say, "Remember what I say and never forget it. Do as I tell you, and you will live.

5 Get wisdom and insight! Do not forget or ignore what I say.

6 Do not abandon wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will keep you safe.

7 Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do. Whatever else you get, get insight.

8 Love wisdom, and she will make you great. Embrace her, and she will bring you honor.

9 She will be your crowning glory."

10 Listen to me, my child. Take seriously what I am telling you, and you will live a long life.

11 I have taught you wisdom and the right way to live.

12 Nothing will stand in your way if you walk wisely, and you will not stumble when you run.

13 Always remember what you have learned. Your education is your life - guard it well.

14 Do not go where evil people go. Do not follow the example of the wicked.

15 Don't do it! Keep away from evil! Refuse it and go on your way.

16 Wicked people cannot sleep unless they have done something wrong. They lie awake unless they have hurt someone.

17 Wickedness and violence are like food and drink to them.

18 The road the righteous travel is like the sunrise, getting brighter and brighter until daylight has come.

19 The road of the wicked, however, is dark as night. They fall, but cannot see what they have stumbled over.

20 My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen to my words.

21 Never let them get away from you. Remember them and keep them in your heart.

22 They will give life and health to anyone who understands them.

23 Be careful how you think; your life is shaped by your thoughts.

24 Never say anything that isn't true. Have nothing to do with lies and misleading words.

25 Look straight ahead with honest confidence; don't hang your head in shame.

26 Plan carefully what you do, and whatever you do will turn out right.

27 Avoid evil and walk straight ahead. Don't go one step off the right way.

Proverbs 5

1 My child, pay attention and listen to my wisdom and insight.

2 Then you will know how to behave properly, and your words will show that you have knowledge.

3 The lips of another man's wife may be as sweet as honey and her kisses as smooth as olive oil,

4 but when it is all over, she leaves you nothing but bitterness and pain.

5 She will take you down to the world of the dead; the road she walks is the road to death.

6 She does not stay on the road to life; but wanders off, and does not realize what is happening.

7 Now listen to me, sons, and never forget what I am saying.

8 Keep away from such a woman! Don't even go near her door!

9 If you do, others will gain the respect that you once had, and you will die young at the hands of merciless people.

10 Yes, strangers will take all your wealth, and what you have worked for will belong to someone else.

11 You will lie groaning on your deathbed, your flesh and muscles being eaten away,

12 and you will say, "Why would I never learn? Why would I never let anyone correct me?

13 I wouldn't listen to my teachers. I paid no attention to them.

14 And suddenly I found myself publicly disgraced."

15 Be faithful to your own wife and give your love to her alone.

16 Children that you have by other women will do you no good.

17 Your children should grow up to help you, not strangers.

18 So be happy with your wife and find your joy with the woman you married -

19 pretty and graceful as a deer. Let her charms keep you happy; let her surround you with her love.

20 Son, why should you give your love to another woman? Why should you prefer the charms of another man's wife?

21 The Lord sees everything you do. Wherever you go, he is watching.

22 The sins of the wicked are a trap. They get caught in the net of their own sin.

23 They die because they have no self-control. Their utter stupidity will send them to their graves.

2 Corinthians 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and from our brother Timothy - To the church of God in Corinth, and to all God's people throughout Achaia:

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes!

4 He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God.

5 Just as we have a share in Christ's many sufferings, so also through Christ we share in God's great help.

6 If we suffer, it is for your help and salvation; if we are helped, then you too are helped and given the strength to endure with patience the same sufferings that we also endure.

7 So our hope in you is never shaken; we know that just as you share in our sufferings, you also share in the help we receive.

8 We want to remind you, friends, of the trouble we had in the province of Asia. The burdens laid upon us were so great and so heavy that we gave up all hope of staying alive.

9 We felt that the death sentence had been passed on us. But this happened so that we should rely, not on ourselves, but only on God, who raises the dead.

10 From such terrible dangers of death he saved us, and will save us; and we have placed our hope in him that he will save us again,

11 as you help us by means of your prayers for us. So it will be that the many prayers for us will be answered, and God will bless us; and many will raise their voices to him in thanksgiving for us.

12 We are proud that our conscience assures us that our lives in this world, and especially our relations with you, have been ruled by God-given frankness and sincerity, by the power of God's grace and not by human wisdom.

13 We write to you only what you can read and understand. But even though you now understand us only in part, I hope that you will come to understand us completely, so that in the Day of our Lord Jesus you can be as proud of us as we shall be of you.

15 I was so sure of all this that I made plans at first to visit you, in order that you might be blessed twice.

16 For I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and again on my way back, in order to get help from you for my trip to Judea.

17 In planning this, did I appear fickle? When I make my plans, do I make them from selfish motives, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?

18 As surely as God speaks the truth, my promise to you was not a "Yes" and a "No."

19 For Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was preached among you by Silas, Timothy, and myself, is not one who is "Yes" and "No." On the contrary, he is God's "Yes";

20 for it is he who is the "Yes" to all of God's promises. This is why through Jesus Christ our "Amen" is said to the glory of God.

21 It is God himself who makes us, together with you, sure of our life in union with Christ; it is God himself who has set us apart,

22 who has placed his mark of ownership upon us, and who has given us the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.

23 I call God as my witness - he knows my heart! It was in order to spare you that I decided not to go to Corinth.

24 We are not trying to dictate to you what you must believe; we know that you stand firm in the faith. Instead, we are working with you for your own happiness.