September 14, 2026

Proverbs15

1 A soft answer turns away wrath,

but a harsh word stirs up anger.

2 The tongue of the wise commends knowledge,

but the mouths of fools pour out folly.

3 The eyes of the Lord are in every place,

keeping watch on the evil and the good.

4 A gentle tongue is a tree of life,

but perverseness in it breaks the spirit.

5 A fool despises his father’s instruction,

but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.

6 In the house of the righteous there is much treasure,

but trouble befalls the income of the wicked.

7 The lips of the wise spread knowledge;

not so the hearts of fools.

8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

but the prayer of the upright is acceptable to him.

9 The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord,

but he loves him who pursues righteousness.

10 There is severe discipline for him who forsakes the way;

whoever hates reproof will die.

11 Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the Lord;

how much more the hearts of the children of man!

12 A scoffer does not like to be reproved;

he will not go to the wise.

13 A glad heart makes a cheerful face,

but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.

14 The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

15 All the days of the afflicted are evil,

but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

16 Better is a little with the fear of the Lord

than great treasure and trouble with it.

17 Better is a dinner of herbs where love is

than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife,

but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.

19 The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns,

but the path of the upright is a level highway.

20 A wise son makes a glad father,

but a foolish man despises his mother.

21 Folly is a joy to him who lacks sense,

but a man of understanding walks straight ahead.

22 Without counsel plans fail,

but with many advisers they succeed.

23 To make an apt answer is a joy to a man,

and a word in season, how good it is!

24 The path of life leads upward for the prudent,

that he may turn away from Sheol beneath.

25 The Lord tears down the house of the proud

but maintains the widow’s boundaries.

26 The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord,

but gracious words are pure.

27 Whoever is greedy for unjust gain troubles his own household,

but he who hates bribes will live.

28 The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer,

but the mouth of the wicked pours out evil things.

29 The Lord is far from the wicked,

but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

30 The light of the eyes rejoices the heart,

and good news refreshes the bones.

31 The ear that listens to life-giving reproof

will dwell among the wise.

32 Whoever ignores instruction despises himself,

but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence.

33 The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,

and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs16

1 The plans of the heart belong to man,

but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

2 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,

but the Lord weighs the spirit.

3 Commit your work to the Lord,

and your plans will be established.

4 The Lord has made everything for its purpose,

even the wicked for the day of trouble.

5 Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;

be assured, he will not go unpunished.

6 By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,

and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.

7 When a man’s ways please the Lord,

he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

8 Better is a little with righteousness

than great revenues with injustice.

9 The heart of man plans his way,

but the Lord establishes his steps.

10 An oracle is on the lips of a king;

his mouth does not sin in judgment.

11 A just balance and scales are the Lord’s;

all the weights in the bag are his work.

12 It is an abomination to kings to do evil,

for the throne is established by righteousness.

13 Righteous lips are the delight of a king,

and he loves him who speaks what is right.

14 A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,

and a wise man will appease it.

15 In the light of a king’s face there is life,

and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold!

To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;

whoever guards his way preserves his life.

18 Pride goes before destruction,

and a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor

than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.

21 The wise of heart is called discerning,

and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.

22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,

but the instruction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious

and adds persuasiveness to his lips.

24 Gracious words are like a honeycomb,

sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

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

but its end is the way to death.

26 A worker’s appetite works for him;

his mouth urges him on.

27 A worthless man plots evil,

and his speech is like a scorching fire.

28 A dishonest man spreads strife,

and a whisperer separates close friends.

29 A man of violence entices his neighbor

and leads him in a way that is not good.

30 Whoever winks his eyes plans dishonest things;

he who purses his lips brings evil to pass.

31 Gray hair is a crown of glory;

it is gained in a righteous life.

32 Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty,

and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

33 The lot is cast into the lap,

but its every decision is from the Lord.

Proverbs17

1 Better is a dry morsel with quiet

than a house full of feasting with strife.

2 A servant who deals wisely will rule over a son who acts shamefully

and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

3 The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold,

and the Lord tests hearts.

4 An evildoer listens to wicked lips,

and a liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.

5 Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker;

he who is glad at calamity will not go unpunished.

6 Grandchildren are the crown of the aged,

and the glory of children is their fathers.

7 Fine speech is not becoming to a fool;

still less is false speech to a prince.

8 A bribe is like a magic stone in the eyes of the one who gives it;

wherever he turns he prospers.

9 Whoever covers an offense seeks love,

but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.

10 A rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding

than a hundred blows into a fool.

11 An evil man seeks only rebellion,

and a cruel messenger will be sent against him.

12 Let a man meet a she-bear robbed of her cubs

rather than a fool in his folly.

13 If anyone returns evil for good,

evil will not depart from his house.

14 The beginning of strife is like letting out water,

so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

15 He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

16 Why should a fool have money in his hand to buy wisdom

when he has no sense?

17 A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity.

18 One who lacks sense gives a pledge

and puts up security in the presence of his neighbor.

19 Whoever loves transgression loves strife;

he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

20 A man of crooked heart does not discover good,

and one with a dishonest tongue falls into calamity.

21 He who sires a fool gets himself sorrow,

and the father of a fool has no joy.

22 A joyful heart is good medicine,

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

23 The wicked accepts a bribe in secret

to pervert the ways of justice.

24 The discerning sets his face toward wisdom,

but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth.

25 A foolish son is a grief to his father

and bitterness to her who bore him.

26 To impose a fine on a righteous man is not good,

nor to strike the noble for their uprightness.

27 Whoever restrains his words has knowledge,

and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

28 Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise;

when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.

2 Corinthians2

1 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a door was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

2 Corinthians3

Ministers of the New Covenant

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

4 Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.