Proverbs 9:16

Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.

One who works his land will have an abundance of food; but one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

In all hard work there is profit, but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty.

God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

For you will eat the labor of your hands. You will be happy, and it will be well with you.

He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.

An abundance of food is in poor people’s fields, but injustice sweeps it away.

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

neither did we eat bread from anyone’s hand without paying for it, but in labor and travail worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you,

You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

Nevertheless there are good things found in you, in that you have put away the Asheroth out of the land, and have set your heart to seek God.”

For he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, Yahweh saw the earth;

“How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity? How long will mockers delight themselves in mockery, and fools hate knowledge?

Leave your simple ways, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.”

Don’t love sleep, lest you come to poverty. Open your eyes, and you shall be satisfied with bread.

I listened and heard, but they didn’t say what is right. No one repents of his wickedness, saying, “What have I done?” Everyone turns to his course, as a horse that rushes headlong in the battle.

There is no one who understands. There is no one who seeks after God.

Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.

But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

They gave him seventy pieces of silver out of the house of Baal Berith, with which Abimelech hired vain and reckless fellows who followed him.

Now it came to pass, when they spoke daily to him, and he didn’t listen to them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai’s reason would stand; for he had told them that he was a Jew.

He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me.

Yahweh looked down from heaven on the children of men, to see if there were any who understood, who sought after God.

Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the sons of men.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word.

to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the young man:

You simple, understand prudence! You fools, be of an understanding heart!

A prudent man sees danger and hides himself; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

Many will purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked will do wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand; but those who are wise will understand.

At that time, Jesus answered, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

for this people’s heart has grown callous, their ears are dull of hearing, they have closed their eyes; or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and would turn again; and I would heal them.’

So Jesus said, “Do you also still not understand?

Noah began to be a farmer, and planted a vineyard.

Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

I will go down now, and see whether their deeds are as bad as the reports which have come to me. If not, I will know.”

As she spoke to Joseph day by day, he didn’t listen to her, to lie by her, or to be with her.

She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” He left his garment in her hand, and ran outside.

Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.

She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me! For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Don’t you do this folly.

Worthless men were gathered to him, wicked fellows who strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tender hearted, and could not withstand them.

who sets his heart to seek God, Yahweh, the God of his fathers, even if they aren’t clean according to the purification of the sanctuary.”

“If I have walked with falsehood, and my foot has hurried to deceit

Yahweh’s law is perfect, restoring the soul. Yahweh’s covenant is sure, making wise the simple.

I have not sat with deceitful men, neither will I go in with hypocrites.

A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:

Fools are afflicted because of their disobedience, and because of their iniquities.

Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

that they may keep you from the strange woman, from the foreigner who flatters with her words.

I saw among the simple ones. I discerned among the youths a young man void of understanding,

So she caught him, and kissed him. With an impudent face she said to him:

“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” As for him who is void of understanding, she says to him,

She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the high places of the city,

He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

One who walks with wise men grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.

A simple man believes everything, but the prudent man carefully considers his ways.

The simple inherit folly, but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

For a prostitute is a deep pit; and a wayward wife is a narrow well.

A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge; but the simple pass on, and suffer for it.

Oh that you would tear the heavens, that you would come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence.

“For my people are foolish. They don’t know me. They are foolish children, and they have no understanding. They are skillful in doing evil, but they don’t know how to do good.”

Every man has become brutish and without knowledge. Every goldsmith is disappointed by his engraved image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

“Every man has become brutish without knowledge. Every goldsmith is disappointed by his image; for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them.

until Yahweh looks down, and sees from heaven.

The pride of Israel testifies to his face; yet they haven’t returned to Yahweh their God, nor sought him, for all this.

For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

Flee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

Abstain from every form of evil.

Beloved, don’t imitate that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God. He who does evil hasn’t seen God.

The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing ought not to be done.

I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding: