Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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1 If a poor man
is wise, he has good reason to
be proud, and he will be thought of
as a great man.
Appearances
2 Do not compliment a person on
his good looks. On the other hand,
do not look down on someone who is
unattractive.
3 Compared to most
flying things, a bee is very small, but
the honey it makes is the sweetest of
foods.
4 Don't make fun of someone
who has fallen on hard times and is
dressed in rags. noteThe Lord does wonderful
things that human beings never
notice.
5 Many are the kings who
have ended their careers sitting on
the ground, while their crowns were
worn by men no one had heard of
before.
6 Many are the rulers who
have suffered disgrace. Many are the
famous men who have fallen into the
power of others.
Be Cautious
7 Before you start criticizing, get
your facts straight and think the
matter through.
8 Don't interrupt
while someone is speaking; hear
what he has to say before you answer.
9 Don't get into an argument
over something that is none of your
business. Don't take part in decisions
that are being made by sinners.
10 Son, don't get involved in too
many things. If you try to do too
much, you will suffer for it. You
won't be able to finish your work,
and you won't be able to get away
from it either.
11 For instance, here is
a man who never stops working like
a slave, but gets further behind all
the time.
12 On the other hand, another
man may be very poor and not
up to his task. He may be slow, and
he may need help, but the Lord is
pleased with him and pulls him out
of his bad situation.
13 When he is
back on his feet again, everyone is
astounded.
14 Everything comes from the
Lord: success and failure, poverty
and wealth, life and death.
15 Wisdom,
understanding, knowledge of
the Law, love, and the doing of good
deeds—all these come from the
Lord.
16 Error and darkness have
been with sinners from the beginning,
and those who enjoy evil will
have it with them into their old age.
17 The Lord's gifts to religious people
are gifts that endure. If he approves
of you, you will always be successful.
18 A man may grow rich by
working hard and denying himself
pleasure, but what does he get for it?
19 He says to himself, “Now I can finally
sit back and enjoy what I have
worked for.” But he has no idea how
-- --
long it will be before he must die and
leave his wealth to others. note
20 Stand by your duty and stick
to it; grow old at your work.
21 Don't
be jealous of what sinners achieve;
just stick to your own work, and
trust the Lord. It is very easy for the
Lord to make a poor man suddenly
rich.
22 Devout people will receive
the Lord's blessing as their reward,
and that blessing can be given in a
moment.
23 Don't be concerned
about what you need, or what success
the future holds for you.
24 On
the other hand, don't think that you
have everything you need or that
nothing can go wrong for you in the
future.
25 When things are going
well, people don't think about hard
times; and when things are going
badly, they forget about prosperity.
26 The Lord can easily wait until the
day of a man's death to reward or
punish him.
27 At that time his deeds
are open for all to see; all his happiness
can be erased in that one moment
of misery.
28 So then, don't
think of anyone's life as happy until
it is over, because all the evidence is
not in until the person is dead. note
Be Careful in Choosing Friends
29 Be carful about the kind of person
you invite into your home, because
clever people can fool you in
many ways.
30 A proud man is a decoy
to lure you into danger; like a
spy, he will look for your weaknesses.
note
31 He will make good appear
evil and find fault with the noblest
actions.
32 A single spark can set a
pile of coals ablaze, and a sinner is
just waiting for a chance to do violence.
33 Watch out for such people
and their evil plans; they will ruin
you permanently.
34 If you bring a
stranger home with you, it will only
cause trouble, even between you and
your own family.
Good News [1976], GOOD NEWS BIBLE WITH DEUTEROCANONICALS / APOCRYPHA Today's English Version (AMERICAN BIBLE SOCIETY, New York) [word count] [B15000].
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