September 13, 2026

Proverbs12

1 Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,

but he who hates reproof is stupid.

2 A good man obtains favor from the Lord,

but a man of evil devices he condemns.

3 No one is established by wickedness,

but the root of the righteous will never be moved.

4 An excellent wife is the crown of her husband,

but she who brings shame is like rottenness in his bones.

5 The thoughts of the righteous are just;

the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood,

but the mouth of the upright delivers them.

7 The wicked are overthrown and are no more,

but the house of the righteous will stand.

8 A man is commended according to his good sense,

but one of twisted mind is despised.

9 Better to be lowly and have a servant

than to play the great man and lack bread.

10 Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast,

but the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

11 Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

12 Whoever is wicked covets the spoil of evildoers,

but the root of the righteous bears fruit.

13 An evil man is ensnared by the transgression of his lips,

but the righteous escapes from trouble.

14 From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good,

and the work of a man’s hand comes back to him.

15 The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,

but a wise man listens to advice.

16 The vexation of a fool is known at once,

but the prudent ignores an insult.

17 Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence,

but a false witness utters deceit.

18 There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts,

but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

19 Truthful lips endure forever,

but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

20 Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil,

but those who plan peace have joy.

21 No ill befalls the righteous,

but the wicked are filled with trouble.

22 Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,

but those who act faithfully are his delight.

23 A prudent man conceals knowledge,

but the heart of fools proclaims folly.

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

25 Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down,

but a good word makes him glad.

26 One who is righteous is a guide to his neighbor,

but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

27 Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.

28 In the path of righteousness is life,

and in its pathway there is no death.

Proverbs13

1 A wise son hears his father’s instruction,

but a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.

2 From the fruit of his mouth a man eats what is good,

but the desire of the treacherous is for violence.

3 Whoever guards his mouth preserves his life;

he who opens wide his lips comes to ruin.

4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

5 The righteous hates falsehood,

but the wicked brings shame and disgrace.

6 Righteousness guards him whose way is blameless,

but sin overthrows the wicked.

7 One pretends to be rich, yet has nothing;

another pretends to be poor, yet has great wealth.

8 The ransom of a man’s life is his wealth,

but a poor man hears no threat.

9 The light of the righteous rejoices,

but the lamp of the wicked will be put out.

10 By insolence comes nothing but strife,

but with those who take advice is wisdom.

11 Wealth gained hastily will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick,

but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.

13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself,

but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.

14 The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

15 Good sense wins favor,

but the way of the treacherous is their ruin.

16 Every prudent man acts with knowledge,

but a fool flaunts his folly.

17 A wicked messenger falls into trouble,

but a faithful envoy brings healing.

18 Poverty and disgrace come to him who ignores instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is honored.

19 A desire fulfilled is sweet to the soul,

but to turn away from evil is an abomination to fools.

20 Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise,

but the companion of fools will suffer harm.

21 Disaster pursues sinners,

but the righteous are rewarded with good.

22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children,

but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

23 The fallow ground of the poor would yield much food,

but it is swept away through injustice.

24 Whoever spares the rod hates his son,

but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him.

25 The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

but the belly of the wicked suffers want.

Proverbs14

1 The wisest of women builds her house,

but folly with her own hands tears it down.

2 Whoever walks in uprightness fears the Lord,

but he who is devious in his ways despises him.

3 By the mouth of a fool comes a rod for his back,

but the lips of the wise will preserve them.

4 Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

5 A faithful witness does not lie,

but a false witness breathes out lies.

6 A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain,

but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.

7 Leave the presence of a fool,

for there you do not meet words of knowledge.

8 The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,

but the folly of fools is deceiving.

9 Fools mock at the guilt offering,

but the upright enjoy acceptance.

10 The heart knows its own bitterness,

and no stranger shares its joy.

11 The house of the wicked will be destroyed,

but the tent of the upright will flourish.

12 There is a way that seems right to a man,

but its end is the way to death.

13 Even in laughter the heart may ache,

and the end of joy may be grief.

14 The backslider in heart will be filled with the fruit of his ways,

and a good man will be filled with the fruit of his ways.

15 The simple believes everything,

but the prudent gives thought to his steps.

16 One who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil,

but a fool is reckless and careless.

17 A man of quick temper acts foolishly,

and a man of evil devices is hated.

18 The simple inherit folly,

but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

19 The evil bow down before the good,

the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

20 The poor is disliked even by his neighbor,

but the rich has many friends.

21 Whoever despises his neighbor is a sinner,

but blessed is he who is generous to the poor.

22 Do they not go astray who devise evil?

Those who devise good meet steadfast love and faithfulness.

23 In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk tends only to poverty.

24 The crown of the wise is their wealth,

but the folly of fools brings folly.

25 A truthful witness saves lives,

but one who breathes out lies is deceitful.

26 In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence,

and his children will have a refuge.

27 The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,

that one may turn away from the snares of death.

28 In a multitude of people is the glory of a king,

but without people a prince is ruined.

29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding,

but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

30 A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh,

but envy makes the bones rot.

31 Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,

but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

32 The wicked is overthrown through his evildoing,

but the righteous finds refuge in his death.

33 Wisdom rests in the heart of a man of understanding,

but it makes itself known even in the midst of fools.

34 Righteousness exalts a nation,

but sin is a reproach to any people.

35 A servant who deals wisely has the king’s favor,

but his wrath falls on one who acts shamefully.

2 Corinthians1

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God of All Comfort

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. 6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. 10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Paul’s Change of Plans

12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.

15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.

23 But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.