December 19, 2026

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.

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.

Revelation11

The Two Witnesses

1 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2 but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. 3 And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”

4 These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. 5 And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. 6 They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. 7 And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, 8 and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9 For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10 and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. 11 But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. 13 And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.

14 The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

The Seventh Trumpet

15 Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.” 16 And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17 saying,

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,

who is and who was,

for you have taken your great power

and begun to reign.

18 The nations raged,

but your wrath came,

and the time for the dead to be judged,

and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,

and those who fear your name,

both small and great,

and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”

19 Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail.

Revelation12

The Woman and the Dragon

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.