Along The Way (May 3 - 9, 2024) — BETHLEHEM UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Proverbs 20

Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler,

and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.

The dread anger of a king is like the growling of a lion;

anyone who provokes him to anger forfeits life itself.

It is honorable to refrain from strife,

but every fool is quick to quarrel.

The lazy person does not plow in season;

harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.

The purposes in the human mind are like deep water,

but the intelligent will draw them out.

Many proclaim themselves loyal,

but who can find one worthy of trust?

The righteous walk in integrity —

happy are the children who follow them!

A king who sits on the throne of judgment

winnows all evil with his eyes.

Who can say, “I have made my heart clean;

I am pure from my sin”?

Diverse weights and diverse measures

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

Even children make themselves known by their acts,

by whether what they do is pure and right.

The hearing ear and the seeing eye — the Lord has made them both.

Do not love sleep, or else you will come to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

“Bad, bad,” says the buyer,

then goes away and boasts.

There is gold and abundance of costly stones,

but the lips informed by knowledge are a precious jewel.

Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger;

seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.

Bread gained by deceit is sweet,

but afterward the mouth will be full of gravel.

Plans are established by taking advice;

wage war by following wise guidance.

A gossip reveals secrets;

therefore do not associate with a babbler.

If you curse father or mother,

your lamp will go out in utter darkness.

An estate quickly acquired in the beginning

will not be blessed in the end.

Do not say, “I will repay evil”;

wait for the Lord, and he will help you.

Differing weights are an abomination to the Lord,

and false scales are not good.

All our steps are ordered by the Lord;

how then can we understand our own ways?

It is a snare for one to say rashly, “It is holy,”

and begin to reflect only after making a vow.

A wise king winnows the wicked

and drives the wheel over them.

The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord,

searching every inmost part.

Loyalty and faithfulness preserve the king,

and his throne is upheld by righteousness.

The glory of youths is their strength,

but the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.

Blows that wound cleanse away evil;

beatings make clean the innermost parts.

Proverbs 21

The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord;

he turns it wherever he will.

All deeds are right in the sight of the doer,

but the Lord weighs the heart.

To do righteousness and justice

is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.

Haughty eyes and a proud heart —

the lamp of the wicked — are sin.

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.

The getting of treasures by a lying tongue

is a fleeting vapor and a snare of death.

The violence of the wicked will sweep them away

because they refuse to do what is just.

The way of the guilty is crooked,

but the conduct of the pure is right.

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

The souls of the wicked desire evil;

their neighbors find no mercy in their eyes.

When a scoffer is punished, the simple become wiser;

when the wise are instructed, they increase in knowledge.

The Righteous One observes the house of the wicked;

he casts the wicked down to ruin.

If you close your ear to the cry of the poor,

you will cry out and not be heard.

A gift in secret averts anger,

and a concealed bribe, strong wrath.

When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous

but dismay to evildoers.

Whoever wanders from the way of understanding

will rest in the assembly of the dead.

Whoever loves pleasure will suffer want;

whoever loves wine and oil will not be rich.

The wicked is a ransom for the righteous

and the faithless for the upright.

It is better to live in a desert land

than with a contentious and fretful wife.

Precious treasure remains in the house of the wise,

but the fool devours it.

Whoever pursues righteousness and kindness

will find life and honor.

One wise person went up against a city of warriors

and brought down the stronghold in which they trusted.

To watch over mouth and tongue

is to keep out of trouble.

The proud, haughty person, named Scoffer,

acts with arrogant pride.

The craving of the lazy person is fatal,

for lazy hands refuse to labor.

All day long the wicked covet,

but the righteous give and do not hold back.

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;

how much more when brought with evil intent.

A false witness will perish,

but a good listener will testify successfully.

The wicked put on a bold face,

but the upright give thought to their ways.

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel

can avail against the Lord.

The horse is made ready for the day of battle,

but the victory belongs to the Lord.

Proverbs 22

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,

and favor is better than silver or gold.

The rich and the poor have this in common:

the Lord is the maker of them all.

The clever see danger and hide,

but the simple go on and suffer for it.

The reward for humility and fear of the Lord

is riches and honor and life.

Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse;

the cautious will keep far from them.

Train children in the right way,

and when old, they will not stray.

The rich rule over the poor,

and the borrower is the slave of the lender.

Whoever sows injustice will reap calamity,

and the rod of anger will fail.

Those who are generous are blessed,

for they share their bread with the poor.

Drive out a scoffer, and strife goes out;

quarreling and abuse will cease.

Those who love a pure heart and are gracious in speech

will have the king as a friend.

The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,

but he overthrows the words of the faithless.

The lazy person says, “There is a lion outside!

I shall be killed in the streets!”

The mouth of a loose woman is a deep pit;

he with whom the Lord is angry falls into it.

Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,

but the rod of discipline drives it far away.

Oppressing the poor in order to enrich oneself,

and giving to the rich, will lead only to loss.

Sayings of the Wise

The words of the wise:

Incline your ear and hear my words

and apply your mind to my teaching,

for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you,

if all of them are ready on your lips.

So that your trust may be in the Lord,

I have made them known to you today, yes, to you.

Have I not written for you thirty sayings

of admonition and knowledge,

to show you what is right and true,

so that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?

Do not rob the poor because they are poor

or crush the afflicted at the gate,

for the Lord pleads their cause

and despoils of life those who despoil them.

Make no friends with those given to anger,

and do not associate with hotheads,

lest you learn their ways

and entangle yourself in a snare.

Do not be one of those who give pledges,

who become surety for debts.

If you have nothing with which to pay,

why should your bed be taken from under you?

Do not remove the ancient landmark

that your ancestors set up.

Do you see those who are skillful in their work?

They will serve kings;

they will not serve common people.

Proverbs 23

When you sit down to eat with an official,

observe carefully what is before you,

and put a knife to your throat

if you have a big appetite.

Do not desire an official’s delicacies,

for they are deceptive food.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich;

be wise enough to desist.

When your eyes light upon it, it is gone,

for suddenly it takes wings to itself,

flying like an eagle toward heaven.

Do not eat the bread of the stingy;

do not desire their delicacies,

for like a hair in the throat, so are they.

“Eat and drink!” they say to you,

but they do not mean it.

You will vomit up the little you have eaten,

and you will waste your pleasant words.

Do not speak in the hearing of a fool,

who will only despise the wisdom of your words.

Do not remove an ancient landmark

or encroach on the fields of orphans,

for their vindicator is strong;

he will plead their cause against you.

Apply your mind to instruction

and your ear to words of knowledge.

Do not withhold discipline from your children;

if you beat them with a rod, they will not die.

If you beat them with the rod,

you will save their lives from Sheol.

My child, if your heart is wise,

my heart also will be glad.

My soul will rejoice

when your lips speak what is right.

Do not let your heart envy sinners,

but always continue in the fear of the Lord.

Surely there is a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

Hear, my child, and be wise,

and direct your mind in the way.

Do not be among winebibbers

or among gluttonous eaters of meat,

for the drunkard and the glutton will come to poverty,

and drowsiness will clothe them with rags.

Listen to your father who begot you,

and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Buy truth, and do not sell it;

buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.

The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice;

he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.

Let your father and mother be glad;

let her who bore you rejoice.

My child, give me your heart,

and let your eyes observe my ways.

For a prostitute is a deep pit;

an adulteress is a narrow well.

She lies in wait like a robber

and increases the number of the faithless.

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Who has strife? Who has complaining?

Who has wounds without cause?

Who has redness of eyes?

Those who linger late over wine,

those who keep trying mixed wines.

Do not look at wine when it is red,

when it sparkles in the cup

and goes down smoothly.

At the last it bites like a serpent

and stings like an adder.

Your eyes will see strange things,

and your mind utter perverse things.

You will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea,

like one who lies on the top of a mast.

“They struck me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt;

they beat me, but I did not feel it.

When shall I awake?

I will seek another drink.”

Proverbs 24

Do not envy the wicked,

nor desire to be with them,

for their minds devise violence,

and their lips talk of mischief.

By wisdom a house is built,

and by understanding it is established;

by knowledge the rooms are filled

with all precious and pleasant riches.

Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones

and those who have knowledge than those who have strength,

for by wise guidance you can wage your war,

and in abundance of counselors there is victory.

Wisdom is too high for fools;

in the gate they do not open their mouths.

Whoever plans to do evil

will be called a mischief-maker.

The devising of folly is sin,

and the scoffer is an abomination to all.

If you faint in the day of adversity,

your strength being small;

if you hold back from rescuing those taken away to death,

those who go staggering to the slaughter;

if you say, “Look, we did not know this” —

does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?

Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it?

And will he not repay all according to their deeds?

My child, eat honey, for it is good,

and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.

Know that wisdom is such to your soul;

if you find it, you will find a future,

and your hope will not be cut off.

Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home of the righteous;

do no violence to the place where the righteous live;

for though they fall seven times, they will rise again,

but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,

and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble,

lest the Lord see it and be displeased

and turn away his anger from them.

Do not fret because of evildoers.

Do not envy the wicked,

for the evil have no future;

the lamp of the wicked will go out.

My child, fear the Lord and the king,

and do not disobey either of them,

for disaster comes from them suddenly,

and who knows the ruin that both can bring?

Further Sayings of the Wise

These also are sayings of the wise:

Partiality in judging is not good.

Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”

will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,

but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,

and a good blessing will come upon them.

One who gives an honest answer

gives a kiss on the lips.

Prepare your work outside;

get everything ready for you in the field;

and after that build your house.

Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,

and do not deceive with your lips.

Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me;

I will pay them back for what they have done.”

I passed by the field of one who was lazy,

by the vineyard of a stupid person,

and see, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone wall was broken down.

Then I saw and considered it;

I looked and received instruction.

A little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want, like an armed warrior.

Proverbs 25

Further Wise Sayings of Solomon

These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.

It is the glory of God to conceal things,

but the glory of kings is to search things out.

Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,

so the mind of kings is unsearchable.

Take away the dross from the silver,

and the smith has material for a vessel;

take away the wicked from the presence of the king,

and his throne will be established in righteousness.

Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence

or stand in the place of the great,

for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”

than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.

What your eyes have seen

do not hastily bring into court,

for what will you do in the end,

when your neighbor puts you to shame?

Argue your case with your neighbor directly,

and do not disclose another’s secret,

or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon you,

and your ill repute will have no end.

A word fitly spoken

is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.

Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold

is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.

Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

are faithful messengers to those who send them;

they refresh the spirit of their masters.

Like clouds and wind without rain

is one who boasts of a gift never given.

With patience a ruler may be persuaded,

and a soft tongue can break bones.

If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,

lest, having too much, you vomit it up.

Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,

lest the neighbor become weary of you and hate you.

Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow

is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.

Like a bad tooth or a lame foot

is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.

Like vinegar on a wound

is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.

Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,

sorrow gnaws at the human heart.

If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat,

and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink,

for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,

and the Lord will reward you.

The north wind produces rain,

and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.

It is better to live in a corner of the housetop

than in a house shared with a contentious wife.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul,

so is good news from a far country.

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain

are the righteous who give way before the wicked.

It is not good to eat much honey

or to seek honor on top of honor.

Like a city breached, without walls,

is one who lacks self-control.

Proverbs 26

Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,

so honor is not fitting for a fool.

Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,

an undeserved curse goes nowhere.

A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,

and a rod for the back of fools.

Do not answer fools according to their folly,

lest you be a fool yourself.

Answer fools according to their folly,

lest they be wise in their own eyes.

It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,

to send a message by a fool.

The legs of a lame person hang limp;

so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

It is like binding a stone in a sling

to give honor to a fool.

Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard

is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.

Like an archer who wounds everybody

is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.

Like a dog that returns to its vomit

is a fool who reverts to his folly.

Do you see people wise in their own eyes?

There is more hope for fools than for them.

The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!”

As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a lazy person in bed.

The lazy person buries a hand in the dish

and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.

The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem

than seven who can answer discreetly.

Like someone who takes a passing dog by the ears

is one who meddles in the quarrel of another.

Like a maniac who shoots deadly firebrands and arrows,

so is one who deceives a neighbor

and says, “I am only joking!”

For lack of wood the fire goes out,

and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.

As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire,

so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;

they go down into the inner parts of the body.

Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel

are smooth lips with an evil heart.

An enemy dissembles in speaking

while harboring deceit within;

when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,

for there are seven abominations concealed within;

though hatred is covered with guile,

the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,

and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.

A lying tongue hates its victims,

and a flattering mouth works ruin.

Along The Way (May 3 - 9, 2024)

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