Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Proverbs 29

¹A man who remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed--without remedy.

²When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan.

³A man who loves wisdom brings joy to his father, but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

⁴By justice a king gives a country stability, but one who is greedy for bribes tears it down.

⁵Whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading a net for his feet.

⁶An evil man is snared by his own sin, but a righteous one can sing and be glad.

⁷The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern.

⁸Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

⁹If a wise man goes to court with a fool, the fool rages and scoffs, and there is no peace.

¹⁰Bloodthirsty men hate a man of integrity and seek to kill the upright.

¹¹A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.

¹²If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked.

¹³The poor man and the oppressor have this in common: The LORD gives sight to the eyes of both.

¹⁴If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will always be secure.

¹⁵The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

¹⁶When the wicked thrive, so does sin, but the righteous will see their downfall.

¹⁷Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

¹⁸Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.

¹⁹A servant cannot be corrected by mere words; though he understands, he will not respond.

²⁰Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

²¹If a man pampers his servant from youth, he will bring grief in the end.

²²An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins.

²³A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor.

²⁴The accomplice of a thief is his own enemy; he is put under oath and dare not testify.

²⁵Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe.

²⁶Many seek an audience with a ruler, but it is from the LORD that man gets justice.

²⁷The righteous detest the dishonest; the wicked detest the upright.

 

 

Psalm 119:97–104

⁹⁷Oh, how I love your law! I meditate on it all day long. ⁹⁸Your commands make me wiser than my enemies, for they are ever with me. ⁹⁹I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. ¹⁰⁰I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts. ¹⁰¹I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. ¹⁰²I have not departed from your laws, for you yourself have taught me. ¹⁰³How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! ¹⁰⁴I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I hate every wrong path.

 

 

2 Peter 1:16–21

¹⁶We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." ¹⁸We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. ²¹For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.