Day 574 of 730

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and Christ Jesus our hope;

²to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

³As I urged you when I was going into Macedonia, stay at Ephesus that you might command certain men not to teach a different doctrine,

⁴neither to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which cause speculation, rather than God's stewardship, which is in faith-

⁵but the goal of this command is love, out of a pure heart and a good conscience and unfeigned faith;

⁶from which things some, having missed the mark, have turned aside to vain talking;

⁷desiring to be teachers of the law, though they understand neither what they say, nor about what they strongly affirm.

⁸But we know that the law is good, if a man uses it lawfully,

⁹as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

¹⁰for the sexually immoral, nor men who practice sexual relations with men, for slave-traders, for liars, for perjurers, and for any other thing contrary to the sound doctrine;

¹¹according to the Good News of the glory of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.

¹²And I thank him who enabled me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he counted me faithful, appointing me to service;

¹³although I was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, and insolent. However, I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

¹⁴The grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵The saying is faithful and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

¹⁶However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience, for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁸This instruction I commit to you, my child Timothy, according to the prophecies which led the way to you, that by them you may wage the good warfare;

¹⁹holding faith and a good conscience; which some having thrust away made a shipwreck concerning the faith;

²⁰of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered to Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme.

¹If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, let Israel now say,

²if it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us;

³then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us;

⁴then the waters would have overwhelmed us, the stream would have gone over our soul;

⁵then the proud waters would have gone over our soul.

⁶Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as a prey to their teeth.

⁷Our soul has escaped like a bird out of the fowler's snare. The snare is broken, and we have escaped.

⁸Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

¹The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.

²All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weighs the motives.

³Commit your deeds to the Lord, and your plans shall succeed.

⁴The Lord has made everything for its own end- yes, even the wicked for the day of evil.

⁵Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: they shall certainly not be unpunished.

⁶By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for. By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.

⁷When a man's ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

⁸Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues with injustice.

⁹A man's heart plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps.

¹⁰Inspired judgments are on the lips of the king. He shall not betray his mouth.

¹¹Honest balances and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.

¹²It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, for the throne is established by righteousness.

¹³Righteous lips are the delight of kings. They value one who speaks the truth.

¹⁴The king's wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.

¹⁵In the light of the king's face is life. His favor is like a cloud of the spring rain.

¹⁶How much better it is to get wisdom than gold! Yes, to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

¹⁷The highway of the upright is to depart from evil. He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

¹⁸Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

¹⁹It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the plunder with the proud.

²⁰He who heeds the Word finds prosperity. Whoever trusts in the Lord is blessed.

²¹The wise in heart shall be called prudent. Pleasantness of the lips promotes instruction.

²²Understanding is a fountain of life to one who has it, but the punishment of fools is their folly.

²³The heart of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning to his lips.

²⁴Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

²⁵There is a way which seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

²⁶The appetite of the laboring man labors for him; for his mouth urges him on.

²⁷A worthless man devises mischief. His speech is like a scorching fire.

²⁸A perverse man stirs up strife. A whisperer separates close friends.

²⁹A man of violence entices his neighbor, and leads him in a way that is not good.

³⁰One who winks his eyes to plot perversities, one who compresses his lips, is bent on evil.

³¹Gray hair is a crown of glory. It is attained by a life of righteousness.

³²One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.

³³The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord.