{Hebrew: A balance of deceit.}A false balance is an abomination to Jehovah;
But a just weight is his delight.
When pride cometh, then cometh shame;
But with the lowly is wisdom.
The integrity of the upright shall guide them;
But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
Riches profit not in the day of wrath;
But righteousness delivereth from death.
The righteousness of the perfect shall {Or, make straight (or, plain)}direct his way;
But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them;
But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.
When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish;
And the hope of {Or, strong men}iniquity perisheth.
The righteous is delivered out of trouble,
And the wicked cometh in his stead.
With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.
When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth;
And when the wicked perish, there is shouting.
By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
He that despiseth his neighbor is void of {Hebrew: heart.}wisdom;
But a man of understanding holdeth his peace.
He that goeth about as a tale-bearer revealeth secrets;
But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.
Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth;
But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
He that is surety for a stranger {Hebrew: shall be sore broken.}shall smart for it;
But he that hateth {Hebrew: those that strike hands.}suretyship is secure.
A gracious woman obtaineth honor;
And violent men obtain riches.
The merciful man doeth good to his own soul;
But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
The wicked earneth deceitful wages;
But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.
{Or, So righteousness tendeth to life, and he &c.}He that is stedfast in righteousness shall attain unto life;
And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death.
They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Jehovah;
But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.
{Or, My hand upon it! Hebrew: Hand to hand.}Though hand join in hand, the evil man shall not be unpunished;
But the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.
As a ring of gold in a swine's snout,
So is a fair woman that {Hebrew: turneth aside from.}is without discretion.
The desire of the righteous is only good;
But the expectation of the wicked is {Or, arrogance}wrath.
There is that scattereth, and increaseth yet more;
And there is that withholdeth {Or, what is justly due}more than is meet, but it tendeth only to want.
The liberal soul shall be made fat;
And he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;
But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
He that diligently seeketh good seeketh favor;
But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.
He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;
But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;
And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.
The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life;
And he that is wise winneth souls.
Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the earth:
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
Querverweise zu Sprüche 11,14 Spr 11,14
Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed;But in the multitude of counsellors they are established.
Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him that hath it;But the correction of fools is their folly.
For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war;And in the multitude of counsellors there is {Or, victory}safety.
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt,
and they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?
And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.
But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him.
And he said unto them, What counsel give ye, that we may return answer to this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke that thy father did put upon us lighter?
And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou say unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou speak unto them, My little finger is thicker than my father's loins.
And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king bade, saying, Come to me again the third day.
And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him,
and spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.
So the king hearkened not unto the people; for it was a thing brought about of Jehovah, that he might establish his word, which Jehovah spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
And when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.
But as for the children of Israel that dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.
Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the men subject to taskwork; and all Israel stoned him to death with stones. And king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.
So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.
The princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the counsel of the wisest counsellors of Pharaoh is become brutish: how say ye unto Pharaoh, I am the son of the wise, the son of ancient kings?
Where then are thy wise men? and let them tell thee now; and let them know what Jehovah of hosts hath purposed concerning Egypt.
The princes of Zoan are become fools, the princes of Memphis are deceived; they have caused Egypt to go astray, that are the corner-stone of her tribes.
Jehovah hath mingled a spirit of perverseness in the midst of her; and they have caused Egypt to go astray in every work thereof, as a drunken man {Or, goeth astray}staggereth in his vomit.
And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter.
And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them,Brethren, ye know that {Greek: from early days.}a good while ago God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the {Or, good tidings}gospel, and believe.
And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us;
and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.
Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.
And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them.
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,Brethren, hearken unto me:
Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the {See marginal note on chapter 5:42.}Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
{Amos 9:11, 12.}After these things I will return,And I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen;And I will build again the ruins thereof,And I will set it up:
That the residue of men may seek after the Lord,And all the {See marginal note on chapter 5:42.}Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,
Saith the Lord, {Or, who doeth these things which were known & c.}who maketh these things known from of old.
Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God;
but that we {Or, enjoin them}write unto them, that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.
For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.