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.
Honor is no more associated with fools than snow with summer or rain with harvest.
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim.
Guide a horse with a whip, a donkey with a bridle, and a fool with a rod to his back!
Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are.
Be sure to answer the foolish arguments of fools, or they will become wise in their own estimation.
Trusting a fool to convey a message is like cutting off one’s feet or drinking poison!
A proverb in the mouth of a fool is as useless as a paralyzed leg.
Honoring a fool is as foolish as tying a stone to a slingshot.
A proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a thorny branch brandished by a drunk.
An employer who hires a fool or a bystander is like an archer who shoots at random.
As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his foolishness.
There is more hope for fools than for people who think they are wise.
The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road! Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”
As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed.
Lazy people take food in their hand but don’t even lift it to their mouth.
Lazy people consider themselves smarter than seven wise counselors.
Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.
Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”
Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
A quarrelsome person starts fights as easily as hot embers light charcoal or fire lights wood.
Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.
Smooth words may hide a wicked heart, just as a pretty glaze covers a clay pot.
People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you. They pretend to be kind, but don’t believe them. Their hearts are full of many evils. While their hatred may be concealed by trickery, their wrongdoing will be exposed in public.
If you set a trap for others, you will get caught in it yourself. If you roll a boulder down on others, it will crush you instead.
A lying tongue hates its victims, and flattering words cause ruin.
We have been greatly encouraged by this.
In addition to our own encouragement, we were especially delighted to see how happy Titus was about the way all of you welcomed him and set his mind at ease. I had told him how proud I was of you—and you didn’t disappoint me. I have always told you the truth, and now my boasting to Titus has also proved true! Now he cares for you more than ever when he remembers the way all of you obeyed him and welcomed him with such fear and deep respect. I am very happy now because I have complete confidence in you.
Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us —I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.