Day 245 The Bible in a Year (Orthodox canon)

Proverbs 20

1 Wine is an intemperate thing, and strong drink full of violence: but every fool is entangled with them. 2 The threat of a king differs not from the rage of a lion; and he that provokes him sins against his own soul. 3 [It is] a glory to a man to turn aside from railing; but every fool is entangled with such matters. 4 A sluggard when reproached is not ashamed: so also he who borrows corn in harvest. 5 Counsel in a man's heart is deep water; but a prudent man will draw it out. 6 A man is valuable, and a merciful man precious: but [it is] hard to find a faithful man. 7 He that walks blameless in justice, shall leave his children blessed. 8 Whenever a righteous king sits on the throne, no evil thing can stand before his presence. 9 Who will boast that he has a pure heart? or who will boldly say that he is pure from sins? 9a The lamp of him that reviles father or mother shall be put out, and his eyeballs shall see darkness. 9b A portion hastily gotten at first shall not be blessed in the end. 9c Say not, I will avenge myself on my enemy; but wait on the Lord, that he may help thee. 10 A large and small weight, and divers measures, are even both of them unclean before the Lord; and [so is] he that makes them. 11 A youth [when in company] with a godly man, will be restrained in his devices, and [then] his way will be straight. 12 The ear hears, and the eye sees: even both of them are the Lord's work. 13 Love not to speak ill, lest thou be cut off: open thine eyes, and be filled with bread. 23 A double weight is an abomination to the Lord; and a deceitful balance is not good in his sight. 24 A man's goings are directed of the Lord: how then can a mortal understand his ways? 25 It is a snare to a man hastily to consecrate some of his own property: for [in that case] repentance comes after vowing. 26 A wise king utterly crushes the ungodly, and will bring a wheel upon them. 27 The spirit of man is a light of the Lord, who searches the inmost parts of the belly. 28 Mercy and truth are a guard to a king, and will surround his throne with righteousness. 29 Wisdom is an ornament to young men; and grey [hairs] are the glory of old men. 30 Bruises and contusions befall bad men; and plagues [shall come] into the inward parts of [their] belly.

Proverbs 21

1 As a rush of water, so is the king's heart in God's hand: he turns it whithersoever he may desire to point out. 2 Every man seems to himself righteous; but the Lord directs the hearts. 3 To do justly and to speak truth, are more pleasing to God than the blood of sacrifices. 4 A high-minded man is stout-hearted in [his] pride; and the lamp of the wicked is sin. 6 He that gathers treasures with a lying tongue pursues vanity [on] to the snares of death. 7 Destruction shall lodge with the ungodly; for they refuse to do justly. 8 To the froward God sends froward ways; for his works are pure and right. 9 [It is] better to dwell in a corner on the house-top, than in plastered [rooms] with unrighteousness, and in an open house. 10 The soul of the ungodly shall not be pitied by any man. 11 When an intemperate man is punished the simple becomes wiser: and a wise man understanding will receive knowledge. 12 A righteous man understands the hearts of the ungodly: and despises the ungodly for their wickedness. 13 He that stops his ears from hearing the poor, himself also shall cry, and there shall be none to hear [him]. 14 A secret gift calms anger: but he that forbears to give stirs up strong wrath. 15 [It is] the joy of the righteous to do judgment: but a holy [man] is abominable with evil-doers. 16 A man that wanders out of the way of righteousness, shall rest in the congregation of giants. 17 A poor man loves mirth, loving wine and oil in abundance; 18 and a transgressor is the abomination of a righteous man. 19 [It is] better to dwell in a wilderness than with a quarrelsome and talkative and passionate woman. 20 A desirable treasure will rest on the mouth of the wise; but foolish men will swallow it up. 21 The way of righteousness and mercy will find life and glory. 22 A wise man assaults strong cities, and demolishes the fortress in which the ungodly trusted. 23 He that keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his soul from trouble. 24 A bold and self-willed and insolent [man] is called a pest: and he that remembers injuries is a transgressor. 25 Desires kill the sluggard; for his hands do not choose to do anything. 26 An ungodly man entertains evil desires all the day: but the righteous is unsparingly merciful and compassionate. 27 The sacrifices of the ungodly are abomination to the Lord, for they offer them wickedly. 28 A false witness shall perish; but an obedient man will speak cautiously. 29 An ungodly man impudently withstands with his face; but the upright man himself understands his ways. 30 There is no wisdom, there is no courage, there is no counsel against the ungodly. 31 A horse is prepared for the day of battle; but help is of the Lord.

Proverbs 22

1 A fair name is better than much wealth, and good favour is above silver and gold. 2 The rich and the poor meet together; but the Lord made them both. 3 An intelligent man seeing a bad man severely punished is himself instructed, but fools pass by and are punished. 4 The fear of the Lord is the offspring of wisdom, and wealth, and glory, and life. 5 Thistles and snares are in perverse ways; but he that keeps his soul will refrain from them. 7 The rich will rule over the poor, and servants will lend to their own masters. 8 He that sows wickedness shall reap troubles; and shall fully receive the punishment of his deeds. 8a God loves a cheerful and liberal man; but [a man] shall fully prove the folly of his works. 9 He that has pity on the poor shall himself be maintained; for he has given of his own bread to the poor. 9a He that gives liberally secures victory and honour; but he takes away the life of them that possess [them]. 10 Cast out a pestilent person from the council, and strife shall go out with him; for when he sits in the council he dishonours all. 11 The Lord loves holy hearts, and all blameless persons are acceptable with him: a king rules with his lips. 12 But the eyes of the Lord preserve discretion; but the transgressor despises [wise] words. 13 The sluggard makes excuses, and says, [There is] a lion in the ways, and murderers in the streets. 14 The mouth of a transgressor is a deep pit; and he that is hated of the Lord shall fall into it. 14a Evil ways are before a man, and he does not like to turn away from them; but it is needful to turn aside from a perverse and bad way. 15 Folly is attached to the heart of a child, but the rod and instruction are [then] far from him. 16 He that oppresses the poor, increases his own substance, yet gives to the rich so as to make it less. 17 Incline thine ear to the words of wise men: hear also my word, and apply thine heart, 18 that thou mayest know that they are good: and if thou lay them to heart, they shall also gladden thee on thy lips. 19 That thy hope may be in the Lord, and he may make thy way known to thee. 20 And do thou too repeatedly record them for thyself on the table of thine heart, for counsel and knowledge. 21 I therefore teach thee truth, and knowledge good to hear; that thou mayest answer words of truth to them that question thee. 22 Do no violence to the poor, for he is needy: neither dishonour the helpless [man] in the gates. 23 For the Lord will plead his cause, and thou shalt deliver thy soul in safety. 24 Be not companion to a furious man; neither lodge with a passionate man: 25 lest thou learn of his ways, and get snares to thy soul. 26 Become not surety from respect of a man's person. 27 For if those have not whence to give compensation, they will take the bed [that is] under thee. 28 Remove not the old landmarks, which thy fathers placed. 29 It is fit that an observant man and [one] diligent in his business should attend on kings, and not attend on slothful men.

2 Corinthians 5

1 For we know that if the earthly house of our tent is dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. 2 For most certainly in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed being clothed, we will not be found naked. 4 For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened, not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 Now he who made us for this very thing is God, who also gave to us the down payment of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord; 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. 8 We are courageous, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him. 10 For we must all be revealed before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive the things in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 11 Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God, and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences. 12 For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God. Or if we are of sober mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ compels us; because we judge thus: that one died for all, therefore all died. 15 He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again. 16 Therefore we know no one according to the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no more. 17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away. Behold, all things have become new. 18 But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore ambassadors on behalf of Christ, as though God were entreating by us: we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.