1 A wise son accepts his father’s discipline,
but a scoffer has never listened to rebuke.
2 From the fruit of his speech a person eats good things,
but the treacherous desire the fruit of violence.
3 The one who guards his words guards his life;
whoever is talkative will come to ruin.
4 The appetite of the sluggard craves but gets nothing,
but the desire of the diligent will be abundantly satisfied.
5 The righteous person will reject anything false,
but the wicked person will act in shameful disgrace.
6 Righteousness guards the one who lives with integrity,
but wickedness overthrows the sinner.
7 There is one who pretends to be rich and yet has nothing;
another pretends to be poor and yet possesses great wealth.
8 The ransom of a person’s life is his wealth,
thus the poor person has never heard a threat.
9 The light of the righteous shines brightly,
but the lamp of the wicked goes out.
10 With pride comes only contention,
but wisdom is with the well-advised.
11 Wealth gained quickly will dwindle away,
but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.
12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,
but a longing fulfilled is like a tree of life.
13 The one who despises instruction will pay the penalty,
but whoever esteems direction will be rewarded.
14 Instruction from the wise is like a life-giving fountain,
to turn a person from deadly snares.
15 Keen insight wins favor,
but the conduct of the treacherous ends in destruction.
16 Every shrewd person acts with knowledge,
but a fool displays his folly.
17 An unreliable messenger falls into trouble,
but a faithful envoy brings healing.
18 The one who neglects discipline ends up in poverty and shame,
but the one who accepts reproof is honored.
19 A desire fulfilled will be sweet to the soul,
but fools abhor turning away from evil.
20 The one who associates with the wise grows wise,
but a companion of fools suffers harm.
21 Calamity pursues sinners,
but prosperity rewards the righteous.
22 A good person leaves an inheritance for his grandchildren,
but the wealth of a sinner is stored up for the righteous.
23 Abundant food may come from the field of the poor,
but it is swept away by injustice.
24 The one who spares his rod hates his child,
but the one who loves his child is diligent in disciplining him.
25 The righteous has enough food to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked will be empty.
1 So Agrippa said to Paul, “You have permission to speak for yourself.” Then Paul held out his hand and began his defense:
2 “Regarding all the things I have been accused of by the Jews, King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate that I am about to make my defense before you today, 3 because you are especially familiar with all the customs and controversial issues of the Jews. Therefore I ask you to listen to me patiently. 4 Now all the Jews know the way I lived from my youth, spending my life from the beginning among my own people and in Jerusalem. 5 They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee. 6 And now I stand here on trial because of my hope in the promise made by God to our ancestors, 7 a promise that our twelve tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. Concerning this hope the Jews are accusing me, Your Majesty! 8 Why do you people think it is unbelievable that God raises the dead? 9 Of course, I myself was convinced that it was necessary to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus the Nazarene. 10 And that is what I did in Jerusalem: Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons by the authority I received from the chief priests, but I also cast my vote against them when they were sentenced to death. 11 I punished them often in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme. Because I was so furiously enraged at them, I went to persecute them even in foreign cities.
12 “While doing this very thing, as I was going to Damascus with authority and complete power from the chief priests, 13 about noon along the road, Your Majesty, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining everywhere around me and those traveling with me. 14 When we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? You are hurting yourself by kicking against the goads.’ 15 So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16 But get up and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this reason, to designate you in advance as a servant and witness to the things you have seen and to the things in which I will appear to you. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you 18 to open their eyes so that they turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’
19 “Therefore, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but I declared to those in Damascus first, and then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance. 21 For this reason the Jews, after they seized me while I was in the temple courts, were trying to kill me. 22 I have experienced help from God to this day, and so I stand testifying to both small and great, saying nothing except what the prophets and Moses said was going to happen: 23 that the Christ was to suffer and be the first to rise from the dead, to proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles.”
24 As Paul was saying these things in his defense, Festus exclaimed loudly, “You have lost your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane!” 25 But Paul replied, “I have not lost my mind, most excellent Festus, but am speaking true and rational words. 26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely to him, because I cannot believe that any of these things has escaped his notice, for this was not done in a corner. 27 Do you believe the prophets, King Agrippa? I know that you believe.” 28 Agrippa said to Paul, “In such a short time are you persuading me to become a Christian?” 29 Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”
30 So the king got up, and with him the governor and Bernice and those sitting with them, 31 and as they were leaving they said to one another, “This man is not doing anything deserving death or imprisonment.” 32 Agrippa said to Festus, “This man could have been released if he had not appealed to Caesar.”