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 No evil will ever
come to a person who fears the
Lord; however often danger comes,
the Lord will come to his rescue.
2 A
person who has no use for the Law
doesn't have good sense, and anyone
who is insincere about it is going to
be tossed about like a boat in a
storm.
3 If you are wise, you will believe
in the Law; you will find it as
reliable as the sacred lots. note
4 Prepare what you are going to
-- --
say and people will listen to you. Use
what you have learned before you
start talking.
5 A foolish person's
mind works like a cartwheel, going
round and round in circles.
6 A sarcastic
friend is like a wild horse that
neighs no matter who tries to ride
him.
People Are Not Alike
7 Why are some days holier than
others, even though the same sun
rises on every day of the year?
8 It is
because the Lord made them different
by setting them apart as religious
holidays and festivals.
9 He
made some days holy and important,
and made other days ordinary.
10 Every human being was made
from the earth, just as Adam was.
11 But the Lord, in his wisdom, made
them all different and gave them different
tasks.
12 He blessed some,
making them honored and holy,
keeping them near him. Others he
cursed, humbling them and removing
them from their positions.
13 Just
as clay is in the potter's hands for
him to shape as he pleases, so we are
in the hands of our Creator for him
to do with as he wishes.
14 Good is the opposite of evil, life
is the opposite of death, and sin is
the opposite of devotion to the Lord.
15 Think about it: the Most High has
made everything in pairs, each thing
the opposite of something else.
16 As for me, I have been the last to
come on duty, as if going through
vineyards to gather whatever the
grape-pickers had left behind. But
the Lord blessed me, and I did well, note
like a grape-picker who has filled his
wine press.
17 But I want you to
know that I have not done all this
work for myself alone, but for everyone
who wants to learn.
18 Listen to
me, all you great leaders! All you
leaders of the assemblies, hear what
I have to say!
Be Independent
19 Never, as long as you live, give
anyone power over you—whether
son, wife, brother, or friend. Don't
give your property to anyone; you
might change your mind and have to
ask for it back.
20 As long as you
have breath in your body, don't let
anyone lead your life for you.
21 It is
better that your children be dependent
on you than the other way
around.
22 Keep control over all that
you do; don't let anything stain your
reputation.
23 Wait until the last moment
of your life, when you are
breathing your last, and then divide
your property among your heirs.
Treatment of Slaves
24 A donkey should be given his
fodder and his burden, and he
should be beaten. A slave should be
given his food and his work, and he
should be disciplined.
25 If you make
your slave work, you can set your
mind at ease. If you don't keep him
busy, he will be looking for freedom.
26 You can use a harness and yoke to
tame an animal, and a slave can be
tortured in the stocks.
27 Keep him at
work, and don't let him be idle; idleness
can only teach him how to
make trouble.
28 Work is what he
needs. If he won't obey you, put him
in chains.
29 But don't be too severe with
anyone, and never be unfair.
30 If you
have a slave, treat him as you would
want to be treated; you bought him
with your hard-earned money.
31 Treat him as a brother; you need
him as you need yourself. If you mistreat
him and he runs away, where
are you going to look for him?
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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