| The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him. | The father of godly children has cause for joy. What a pleasure to have children who are wise. |
| A man’s steps are established by Yahweh. He delights in his way. | The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. |
| A man of many companions may be ruined, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. | There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother. |
| With the merciful you will show yourself merciful. With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect. | To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. |
| Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen. | Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes. |
| He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? | No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. |
| Don’t lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old man with his doings, and have put on the new man, who is being renewed in knowledge after the image of his Creator. | Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. |
| It is a snare to a man to make a rash dedication, then later to consider his vows. | Don’t trap yourself by making a rash promise to God and only later counting the cost. |
| So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger. | Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. |
| He said, “That which proceeds out of the man, that defiles the man. For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile the man.” | And then he added, “It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you.” |
| For no prophecy ever came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke, being moved by the Holy Spirit. | Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. |
| With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, but the righteous will be delivered through knowledge. | With their words, the godless destroy their friends, but knowledge will rescue the righteous. |
| Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work. | Unfailing love, O Lord, is yours. Surely you repay all people according to what they have done. |
| A man’s heart plans his course, but Yahweh directs his steps. | We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. |
| “They shall be mine,” says Yahweh of Armies, “my own possession in the day that I make. I will spare them, as a man spares his own son who serves him.” | “They will be my people,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be my own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.” |
| Don’t envy the man of violence. Choose none of his ways. For the perverse is an abomination to Yahweh, but his friendship is with the upright. | Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways. Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly. |
| A fool shows his annoyance the same day, but one who overlooks an insult is prudent. | A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted. |
| If a man prevails against one who is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. | A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. |
| Looking at them, Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” | Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But with God everything is possible.” |
| Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of Yahweh. | The man who finds a wife finds a treasure, and he receives favor from the Lord. |
| For we all stumble in many things. Anyone who doesn’t stumble in word is a perfect person, able to bridle the whole body also. | Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. |
| Jesus, looking at them, said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God, for all things are possible with God.” | Jesus looked at them intently and said, “Humanly speaking, it is impossible. But not with God. Everything is possible with God.” |
| The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips. | Wise words bring approval, but fools are destroyed by their own words. |
| Let no man say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God,” for God can’t be tempted by evil, and he himself tempts no one. | And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. |
| Follow after peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no man will see the Lord. | Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. |
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