Along The Way (July 3 - 9, 2026)
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Proverbs 24
Do not envy the wicked,
nor desire to be with them,
for their minds devise violence,
and their lips talk of mischief.
By wisdom a house is built,
and by understanding it is established;
by knowledge the rooms are filled
with all precious and pleasant riches.
Wise warriors are mightier than strong ones
and those who have knowledge than those who have strength,
for by wise guidance you can wage your war,
and in abundance of counselors there is victory.
Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the gate they do not open their mouths.
Whoever plans to do evil
will be called a mischief-maker.
The devising of folly is sin,
and the scoffer is an abomination to all.
If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength being small;
if you hold back from rescuing those taken away to death,
those who go staggering to the slaughter;
if you say, “Look, we did not know this” —
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it?
And will he not repay all according to their deeds?
My child, eat honey, for it is good,
and the drippings of the honeycomb are sweet to your taste.
Know that wisdom is such to your soul;
if you find it, you will find a future,
and your hope will not be cut off.
Do not lie in wait like an outlaw against the home of the righteous;
do no violence to the place where the righteous live;
for though they fall seven times, they will rise again,
but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,
and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble,
lest the Lord see it and be displeased
and turn away his anger from them.
Do not fret because of evildoers.
Do not envy the wicked,
for the evil have no future;
the lamp of the wicked will go out.
My child, fear the Lord and the king,
and do not disobey either of them,
for disaster comes from them suddenly,
and who knows the ruin that both can bring?
Further Sayings of the Wise
These also are sayings of the wise:
Partiality in judging is not good.
Whoever says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by peoples, abhorred by nations,
but those who rebuke the wicked will have delight,
and a good blessing will come upon them.
One who gives an honest answer
gives a kiss on the lips.
Prepare your work outside;
get everything ready for you in the field;
and after that build your house.
Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause,
and do not deceive with your lips.
Do not say, “I will do to others as they have done to me;
I will pay them back for what they have done.”
I passed by the field of one who was lazy,
by the vineyard of a stupid person,
and see, it was all overgrown with thorns;
the ground was covered with nettles,
and its stone wall was broken down.
Then I saw and considered it;
I looked and received instruction.
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.
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Proverbs 25
Further Wise Sayings of Solomon
These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.
It is the glory of God to conceal things,
but the glory of kings is to search things out.
Like the heavens for height, like the earth for depth,
so the mind of kings is unsearchable.
Take away the dross from the silver,
and the smith has material for a vessel;
take away the wicked from the presence of the king,
and his throne will be established in righteousness.
Do not put yourself forward in the king’s presence
or stand in the place of the great,
for it is better to be told, “Come up here,”
than to be put lower in the presence of a noble.
What your eyes have seen
do not hastily bring into court,
for what will you do in the end,
when your neighbor puts you to shame?
Argue your case with your neighbor directly,
and do not disclose another’s secret,
or else someone who hears you will bring shame upon you,
and your ill repute will have no end.
A word fitly spoken
is like apples of gold in a setting of silver.
Like a gold ring or an ornament of gold
is a wise rebuke to a listening ear.
Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest
are faithful messengers to those who send them;
they refresh the spirit of their masters.
Like clouds and wind without rain
is one who boasts of a gift never given.
With patience a ruler may be persuaded,
and a soft tongue can break bones.
If you have found honey, eat only enough for you,
lest, having too much, you vomit it up.
Let your foot be seldom in your neighbor’s house,
lest the neighbor become weary of you and hate you.
Like a war club, a sword, or a sharp arrow
is one who bears false witness against a neighbor.
Like a bad tooth or a lame foot
is trust in a faithless person in time of trouble.
Like vinegar on a wound
is one who sings songs to a heavy heart.
Like a moth in clothing or a worm in wood,
sorrow gnaws at the human heart.
If your enemies are hungry, give them bread to eat,
and if they are thirsty, give them water to drink,
for you will heap coals of fire on their heads,
and the Lord will reward you.
The north wind produces rain,
and a backbiting tongue, angry looks.
It is better to live in a corner of the housetop
than in a house shared with a contentious wife.
Like cold water to a thirsty soul,
so is good news from a far country.
Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
are the righteous who give way before the wicked.
It is not good to eat much honey
or to seek honor on top of honor.
Like a city breached, without walls,
is one who lacks self-control.
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Proverbs 26
Like snow in summer or rain in harvest,
so honor is not fitting for a fool.
Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying,
an undeserved curse goes nowhere.
A whip for the horse, a bridle for the donkey,
and a rod for the back of fools.
Do not answer fools according to their folly,
lest you be a fool yourself.
Answer fools according to their folly,
lest they be wise in their own eyes.
It is like cutting off one’s foot and drinking down violence,
to send a message by a fool.
The legs of a lame person hang limp;
so does a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
It is like binding a stone in a sling
to give honor to a fool.
Like a thornbush brandished by the hand of a drunkard
is a proverb in the mouth of a fool.
Like an archer who wounds everybody
is one who hires a passing fool or drunkard.
Like a dog that returns to its vomit
is a fool who reverts to his folly.
Do you see people wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for fools than for them.
The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!
There is a lion in the streets!”
As a door turns on its hinges,
so does a lazy person in bed.
The lazy person buries a hand in the dish
and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.
The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem
than seven who can answer discreetly.
Like someone who takes a passing dog by the ears
is one who meddles in the quarrel of another.
Like a maniac who shoots deadly firebrands and arrows,
so is one who deceives a neighbor
and says, “I am only joking!”
For lack of wood the fire goes out,
and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases.
As charcoal is to hot embers and wood to fire,
so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.
The words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels;
they go down into the inner parts of the body.
Like the glaze covering an earthen vessel
are smooth lips with an evil heart.
An enemy dissembles in speaking
while harboring deceit within;
when an enemy speaks graciously, do not believe it,
for there are seven abominations concealed within;
though hatred is covered with guile,
the enemy’s wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.
Whoever digs a pit will fall into it,
and a stone will come back on the one who starts it rolling.
A lying tongue hates its victims,
and a flattering mouth works ruin.
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Proverbs 27
Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring.
Let another praise you and not your own mouth,
a stranger and not your own lips.
A stone is heavy, and sand is weighty,
but a fool’s provocation is heavier than both.
Wrath is cruel, anger is overwhelming,
but who is able to stand before jealousy?
Better is open rebuke
than hidden love.
Well meant are the wounds a friend inflicts,
but profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
The sated appetite spurns honey,
but to a ravenous appetite even the bitter is sweet.
Like a bird that strays from its nest
is one who strays from home.
Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the soul is torn by trouble.
Do not forsake your friend or the friend of your parent;
do not go to the house of your kindred in the day of your calamity.
Better is a neighbor who is nearby
than kindred who are far away.
Be wise, my child, and make my heart glad,
so that I may answer whoever reproaches me.
The clever see danger and hide,
but the simple go on and suffer for it.
Take the garment of one who has given surety for a stranger;
seize the pledge given as surety for foreigners.
Whoever blesses a neighbor with a loud voice,
rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
A continual dripping on a rainy day
and a contentious wife are alike;
to restrain her is to restrain the wind
or to grasp oil in the right hand.
Iron sharpens iron,
and one person sharpens the wits of another.
Anyone who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit,
and anyone who takes care of a master will be honored.
Just as water reflects the face,
so one human heart reflects another.
Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied,
and human eyes are never satisfied.
The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,
so a person is tested by being praised.
Crush a fool in a mortar with a pestle
along with crushed grain,
but the folly will not be driven out.
Know well the condition of your flocks,
and give attention to your herds,
for riches do not last forever,
nor a crown for all generations.
When the grass is gone, and new growth appears,
and the herbage of the mountains is gathered,
the lambs will provide your clothing,
and the goats the price of a field;
there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
for the food of your household
and nourishment for your female servants.
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Proverbs 28
The wicked flee when no one pursues,
but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
When a land rebels
it has many rulers;
but with an intelligent person, honesty endures.
A poor person who oppresses the poor
is a beating rain that leaves no food.
Those who forsake the law praise the wicked,
but those who keep the law struggle against them.
The evil do not understand justice,
but those who seek the Lord understand it completely.
Better to be poor and walk in integrity
than to be crooked in one’s ways even though rich.
Those who keep the law are wise children,
but companions of gluttons shame their parents.
One who augments wealth by exorbitant interest
gathers it for another who is kind to the poor.
When one will not listen to the law,
even one’s prayers are an abomination.
Those who mislead the upright into evil ways
will fall into pits of their own making,
but the blameless will have a goodly inheritance.
The rich is wise in self-esteem,
but an intelligent poor person sees through the pose.
When the righteous rejoice, there is great glory,
but when the wicked prevail, people go into hiding.
No one who conceals transgressions will prosper,
but one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.
Happy is the one who is never without fear,
but one who is hard-hearted will fall into calamity.
Like a roaring lion or a charging bear
is a wicked ruler over a poor people.
A ruler who lacks understanding is a cruel oppressor,
but one who hates unjust gain will enjoy a long life.
If someone is burdened with the blood of another,
let that killer be a fugitive until death;
let no one offer assistance.
One who walks in integrity will be safe,
but whoever follows crooked ways will fall into the Pit.
Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
The faithful will abound with blessings,
but one who is in a hurry to be rich will not go unpunished.
To show partiality is not good,
yet for a piece of bread a person may do wrong.
The miser is in a hurry to get rich
and does not know that loss is sure to come.
Whoever rebukes a person will afterward find more favor
than one who flatters with the tongue.
Anyone who robs father or mother
and says, “That is no crime,”
is partner to a thug.
The greedy person stirs up strife,
but whoever trusts in the Lord will be enriched.
Those who trust in their own wits are fools,
but those who walk in wisdom come through safely.
Whoever gives to the poor will lack nothing,
but one who turns a blind eye will get many a curse.
When the wicked prevail, people go into hiding,
but when they perish, the righteous increase.
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Proverbs 29
One who is often reproved, yet remains stubborn,
will suddenly be broken beyond healing.
When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice,
but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
A child who loves wisdom makes a parent glad,
but a companion of prostitutes destroys wealth.
By justice a king gives stability to the land,
but one who makes heavy exactions ruins it.
Whoever flatters a neighbor
is spreading a net for the neighbor’s feet.
In the transgression of the evil there is a snare,
but the righteous sing and rejoice.
The righteous know the rights of the poor;
the wicked have no such understanding.
Scoffers set a city aflame,
but the wise turn away wrath.
If the wise go to law with fools,
there is ranting and ridicule without relief.
The bloodthirsty hate the blameless,
and they seek the life of the upright.
A fool gives full vent to anger,
but the wise quietly holds it back.
If a ruler listens to falsehood,
all his officials will be wicked.
The poor and the oppressor have this in common:
the Lord gives light to the eyes of both.
If a king judges the poor with equity,
his throne will be established forever.
The rod and reproof give wisdom,
but a mother is disgraced by a neglected child.
When the wicked are in authority, transgression increases,
but the righteous will look upon their downfall.
Discipline your children, and they will give you rest;
they will give delight to your heart.
Where there is no prophecy, the people cast off restraint,
but happy are those who keep the law.
By mere words slaves are not disciplined,
for though they understand, they will not give heed.
Do you see someone who is hasty in speech?
There is more hope for a fool than for anyone like that.
A slave pampered from childhood
will come to a bad end.
One given to anger stirs up strife,
and the hothead causes much transgression.
A person’s pride will bring humiliation,
but one who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.
To be a partner of a thief is to hate one’s own life;
one hears the victim’s curse but discloses nothing.
The fear of others lays a snare,
but one who trusts in the Lord is secure.
Many seek the favor of a ruler,
but it is from the Lord that one gets justice.
The unjust are an abomination to the righteous,
but the upright are an abomination to the wicked.
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Proverbs 30 & 31
Sayings of Agur
The words of Agur son of Jakeh. An oracle.
Thus says the man: I am weary, O God;
I am weary, O God, and am wasting away.
Surely I am too stupid to be human;
I do not have human understanding.
I have not learned wisdom,
nor have I knowledge of the holy ones.
Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
And what is the name of the person’s child?
Surely you know!
Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Do not add to his words,
lest he rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
Two things I ask of you;
do not deny them to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that I need,
lest I be full and deny you
and say, “Who is the Lord?”
or I be poor and steal
and profane the name of my God.
Do not slander a servant to a master,
lest the servant curse you, and you be held guilty.
There are those who curse their fathers
and do not bless their mothers.
There are those who are pure in their own eyes,
yet are not cleansed of their filthiness.
There are those — how lofty are their eyes,
how high their eyelids lift! —
there are those whose teeth are swords,
whose teeth are knives
to devour the poor from off the earth,
the needy from among mortals.
The leech has two daughters;
“Give, give,” they cry.
Three things are never satisfied;
four never say, “Enough”:
Sheol, the barren womb,
the earth ever-thirsty for water,
and the fire that never says, “Enough.”
The eye that mocks a father
and scorns to obey a mother
will be pecked out by the ravens of the valley
and eaten by the vultures.
Three things are too wonderful for me;
four I do not understand:
the way of an eagle in the sky,
the way of a snake on a rock,
the way of a ship on the high seas,
and the way of a man with a woman.
This is the way of an adulteress:
she eats and wipes her mouth
and says, “I have done no wrong.”
Under three things the earth trembles;
under four it cannot bear up:
a slave when he becomes king
and a fool when glutted with food,
a contemptible woman when she gets a husband
and a maid when she supplants her mistress.
Four things on earth are small,
yet they are exceedingly wise:
the ants are a people without strength,
yet they provide their food in the summer;
the badgers are a people without power,
yet they make their homes in the rocks;
the locusts have no king,
yet all of them march in rank;
the lizard can be grasped in the hand,
yet it is found in kings’ palaces.
Three things are stately in their stride;
four are stately in their gait:
the lion, which is mightiest among wild animals
and does not turn back before any;
the strutting rooster, the he-goat,
and a king against whom none can stand.
If you have been foolish, exalting yourself,
or if you have been devising evil,
put your hand on your mouth.
For as pressing milk produces curds
and pressing the nose produces blood,
so pressing anger produces strife.
The Teaching of King Lemuel’s Mother
The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:
No, my son! No, son of my womb!
No, son of my vows!
Do not give your strength to women,
your ways to those who destroy kings.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel,
it is not for kings to drink wine
or for rulers to desire strong drink,
lest they drink and forget what has been decreed
and pervert the rights of all the afflicted.
Give strong drink to one who is perishing
and wine to those in bitter distress;
let them drink and forget their poverty
and remember their misery no more.
Speak out for those who cannot speak,
for the rights of all the destitute.
Speak out; judge righteously;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Ode to a Woman of Strength
A woman of strength who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
She does him good and not harm
all the days of her life.
She seeks wool and flax
and works with willing hands.
She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from far away.
She rises while it is still night
and provides food for her household
and tasks for her female servants.
She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
She girds herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all her household are clothed in crimson.
She makes herself coverings;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
Her husband is known in the city gates,
taking his seat among the elders of the land.
She makes linen garments and sells them;
she supplies the merchant with sashes.
Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
Her children rise up and call her happy;
her husband, too, and he praises her:
“Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.”
Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
Give her a share in the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the city gates.