1 Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity
Than a person who is perverse in speech and is a fool.
2 Also it is not good for a person to be without knowledge,
And one who hurries his footsteps errs.
3 The foolishness of a person ruins his way,
And his heart rages against the Lord.
4 Wealth adds many friends,
But a poor person is separated from his friend.
5 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who declares lies will not escape.
6 Many will seek the favor of a generous person,
And every person is a friend to him who gives gifts.
7 All the brothers of a poor person hate him;
How much more do his friends abandon him!
He pursues them with words, but they are gone.
8 One who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
One who keeps understanding will find good.
9 A false witness will not go unpunished,
And one who declares lies will perish.
10 Luxury is not fitting for a fool;
Much less for a slave to rule over princes.
11 A person’s discretion makes him slow to anger,
And it is his glory to overlook an offense.
12 A king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion,
But his favor is like dew on the grass.
13 A foolish son is destruction to his father,
And the quarrels of a wife are a constant dripping.
14 House and wealth are an inheritance from fathers,
But a prudent wife is from the Lord.
15 Laziness casts one into a deep sleep,
And a lazy person will suffer hunger.
16 One who keeps the commandment keeps his soul,
But one who is careless of conduct will die.
17 One who is gracious to a poor person lends to the Lord,
And He will repay him for his good deed.
18 Discipline your son while there is hope,
And do not desire his death.
19 A person of great anger will suffer the penalty,
For if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again.
20 Listen to advice and accept discipline,
So that you may be wise the rest of your days.
21 Many plans are in a person’s heart,
But the advice of the Lord will stand.
22 What is desirable in a person is his kindness,
And it is better to be a poor person than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life,
So that one may sleep satisfied, untouched by evil.
24 The lazy one buries his hand in the dish,
But will not even bring it back to his mouth.
25 Strike a scoffer and the naive may become clever,
But rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.
26 He who assaults his father and drives his mother away
Is a shameful and disgraceful son.
27 Stop listening, my son, to discipline,
And you will stray from the words of knowledge.
28 A worthless witness makes a mockery of justice,
And the mouth of the wicked swallows wrongdoing.
29 Judgments are prepared for scoffers,
And beatings for the backs of fools.
1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, the wages are not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the person to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven,
And whose sins have been covered.
8 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
9 Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, “Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.” 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.
13 For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the Law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise is nullified; 15 for the Law brings about wrath, but where there is no law, there also is no violation.
16 For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed, that is, God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that do not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. 22 Therefore it was also credited to him as righteousness. 23 Now not for his sake only was it written that it was credited to him, 24 but for our sake also, to whom it will be credited, to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 He who was delivered over because of our wrongdoings, and was raised because of our justification.