And just as no human being comprehends any person’s innermost being except the person’s own spirit within him, so also no one comprehends what pertains to God except the Spirit of God. | No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. |
Then I came to realize that all toil and skill in work derive from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind. | Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind. |
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Many are the plans in a human mind, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will prevail. | You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail. |
A wealthy man pays a ransom to save his life; a poor man never has to worry about such threats. | The rich can pay a ransom for their lives, but the poor won’t even get threatened. |
A gift opens doors for the giver and wins him access to the powerful. | Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people! |
Anxiety in the human heart weighs it down, but a kind word makes it glad. | Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up. |
A man’s pride will bring him low, but lowly souls will rise to honor. | Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor. |
A man’s ways may seem right to him, but the Lord weighs the heart. | People may be right in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their heart. |
A cheerful heart is excellent medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. | A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength. |
The wealth of a rich man is his stronghold; he regards it as a high wall that cannot be scaled. | The rich think of their wealth as a strong defense; they imagine it to be a high wall of safety. |
The whispers of a gossiper are tasty morsels that corrode one’s inner being. | Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. |
If anyone thinks that he is religious but does not restrain his tongue, he is deceiving himself, and his religion is worthless. | If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. |
Then he went on, “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For from within, from the human heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, arrogance, and folly. All these evils come from within, and they defile a person.” | 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.” |