Give your love of justice to the king, O God, and righteousness to the king's son. Help him judge your people in the right way; let the poor always be treated fairly. May the mountains yield prosperity for all, and may the hills be fruitful. Help him to defend the poor, to rescue the children of the needy, and to crush their oppressors. May they fear you as long as the sun shines, as long as the moon remains in the sky. Yes, forever!
May the king's rule be refreshing like spring rain on freshly cut grass, like the showers that water the earth. May all the godly flourish during his reign. May there be abundant prosperity until the moon is no more. May he reign from sea to sea, and from the Euphrates River to the ends of the earth. Desert nomads will bow before him; his enemies will fall before him in the dust. The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts. All kings will bow before him, and all nations will serve him.
Don't brag about tomorrow, since you don't know what the day will bring.
Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth - a stranger, not your own lips.
A stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is even heavier.
Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.
An open rebuke is better than hidden love!
Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy.
A person who is full refuses honey, but even bitter food tastes sweet to the hungry.
A person who strays from home is like a bird that strays from its nest.
The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.
Never abandon a friend - either yours or your father's. When disaster strikes, you won't have to ask your brother for assistance. It's better to go to a neighbor than to a brother who lives far away.
Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad. Then I will be able to answer my critics.
A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences.
Get security from someone who guarantees a stranger's debt. Get a deposit if he does it for foreigners.
A loud and cheerful greeting early in the morning will be taken as a curse!
A quarrelsome wife is as annoying as constant dripping on a rainy day. Stopping her complaints is like trying to stop the wind or trying to hold something with greased hands.
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
As workers who tend a fig tree are allowed to eat the fruit, so workers who protect their employer's interests will be rewarded.
As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the real person.
Just as Death and Destruction are never satisfied, so human desire is never satisfied.
Fire tests the purity of silver and gold, but a person is tested by being praised.
You cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle.
Know the state of your flocks, and put your heart into caring for your herds, for riches don't last forever, and the crown might not be passed to the next generation. After the hay is harvested and the new crop appears and the mountain grasses are gathered in, your sheep will provide wool for clothing, and your goats will provide the price of a field. And you will have enough goats' milk for yourself, your family, and your servant girls.
Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have. Of course, I don't mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say,
"Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough."
But thank God! He has given Titus the same enthusiasm for you that I have. Titus welcomed our request that he visit you again. In fact, he himself was very eager to go and see you. We are also sending another brother with Titus. All the churches praise him as a preacher of the Good News. He was appointed by the churches to accompany us as we take the offering to Jerusalem - a service that glorifies the Lord and shows our eagerness to help.
We are traveling together to guard against any criticism for the way we are handling this generous gift. We are careful to be honorable before the Lord, but we also want everyone else to see that we are honorable.