Today's Reading

¹The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²"Avenge the children of Israel for the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people."

³Moses spoke to the people, saying, "Arm men from among you for the war, that they may go against Midian, to execute the Lord's vengeance on Midian.

⁴Of every tribe one thousand, throughout all the tribes of Israel, you shall send to the war."

⁵So there were delivered, out of the thousands of Israel, a thousand of every tribe, twelve thousand armed for war.

⁶Moses sent them, one thousand of every tribe, to the war, them and Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, to the war, with the vessels of the sanctuary and the trumpets for the alarm in his hand.

⁷They warred against Midian, as the Lord commanded Moses; and they killed every male.

⁸They killed the kings of Midian with the rest of their slain: Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, the five kings of Midian: Balaam also the son of Beor they killed with the sword.

⁹The children of Israel took captive the women of Midian and their little ones; and all their livestock, and all their flocks, and all their goods, they took for a prey.

¹⁰All their cities in the places in which they lived, and all their encampments, they burnt with fire.

¹¹They took all the spoil, and all the prey, both of man and of animal.

¹²They brought the captives, and the prey, and the spoil, to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the congregation of the children of Israel, to the camp at the plains of Moab, which are by the Jordan at Jericho.

¹³Moses, and Eleazar the priest, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them outside of the camp.

¹⁴Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.

¹⁵Moses said to them, "Have you saved all the women alive?

¹⁶Behold, these caused the children of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor, and so the plague was among the congregation of the Lord.

¹⁷Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman who has known man by lying with him.

¹⁸But all the girls, who have not known man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves.

¹⁹"Encamp outside of the camp seven days: whoever has killed any person, and whoever has touched any slain, purify yourselves on the third day and on the seventh day, you and your captives.

²⁰As to every garment, and all that is made of skin, and all work of goats' hair, and all things made of wood, you shall purify yourselves."

²¹Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who went to the battle, "This is the statute of the law which the Lord has commanded Moses:

²²however the gold, and the silver, the brass, the iron, the tin, and the lead,

²³everything that may withstand the fire, you shall make to go through the fire, and it shall be clean; nevertheless it shall be purified with the water for impurity: and all that doesn't withstand the fire you shall make to go through the water.

²⁴You shall wash your clothes on the seventh day, and you shall be clean; and afterward you shall come into the camp."

²⁵The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,

²⁶"Take the sum of the prey that was taken, both of man and of animal, you, and Eleazar the priest, and the heads of the fathers' households of the congregation;

²⁷and divide the prey into two parts: between the men skilled in war, who went out to battle, and all the congregation.

²⁸Levy a tribute to the Lord of the men of war who went out to battle: one soul of five hundred; of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks.

²⁹Take it of their half, and give it to Eleazar the priest, for the Lord's wave offering.

³⁰Of the children of Israel's half, you shall take one drawn out of every fifty, of the persons, of the cattle, of the donkeys, and of the flocks, of all the livestock, and give them to the Levites, who perform the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord."

³¹Moses and Eleazar the priest did as the Lord commanded Moses.

³²Now the prey, over and above the booty which the men of war took, was six hundred seventy-five thousand sheep,

³³and seventy-two thousand head of cattle,

³⁴and sixty-one thousand donkeys,

³⁵and thirty-two thousand persons in all, of the women who had not known man by lying with him.

³⁶The half, which was the portion of those who went out to war, was in number three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep:

³⁷and the Lord's tribute of the sheep was six hundred seventy-five.

³⁸The cattle were thirty-six thousand; of which the Lord's tribute was seventy-two.

³⁹The donkeys were thirty thousand five hundred; of which the Lord's tribute was sixty-one.

⁴⁰The persons were sixteen thousand; of whom the Lord's tribute was thirty-two persons.

⁴¹Moses gave the tribute, which was the Lord's wave offering, to Eleazar the priest, as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴²Of the children of Israel's half, which Moses divided off from the men who warred

⁴³(now the congregation's half was three hundred thirty-seven thousand five hundred sheep,

⁴⁴and thirty-six thousand head of cattle,

⁴⁵and thirty thousand five hundred donkeys,

⁴⁶and sixteen thousand persons),

⁴⁷even of the children of Israel's half, Moses took one drawn out of every fifty, both of man and of animal, and gave them to the Levites, who performed the duty of the tabernacle of the Lord; as the Lord commanded Moses.

⁴⁸The officers who were over the thousands of the army, the captains of thousands, and the captains of hundreds, came near to Moses;

⁴⁹and they said to Moses, "Your servants have taken the sum of the men of war who are under our command, and there lacks not one man of us.

⁵⁰We have brought the Lord's offering, what every man has gotten, of jewels of gold, armlets, and bracelets, signet rings, earrings, and necklaces, to make atonement for our souls before the Lord."

⁵¹Moses and Eleazar the priest took their gold, even all worked jewels.

⁵²All the gold of the wave offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thousands, and of the captains of hundreds, was sixteen thousand seven hundred fifty shekels.

⁵³(The men of war had taken booty, every man for himself.)

⁵⁴Moses and Eleazar the priest took the gold of the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and brought it into the Tent of Meeting, for a memorial for the children of Israel before the Lord.

¹Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that behold, the place was a place for livestock;

²the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and to the princes of the congregation, saying,

³"Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,

⁴the land which the Lord struck before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock; and your servants have livestock."

⁵They said, "If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for a possession; do not bring us over the Jordan."

⁶Moses said to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, "Shall your brothers go to the war, and shall you sit here?

⁷Why do you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the Lord has given them?

⁸Your fathers did so when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land.

⁹For when they went up to the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which the Lord had given them.

¹⁰The Lord's anger was kindled in that day, and he swore, saying,

¹¹'Surely none of the men who came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:

¹²except Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have followed the Lord completely.'

¹³The Lord's anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander back and forth in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, who had done evil in the sight of the Lord, was consumed.

¹⁴"Behold, you have risen up in your fathers' place, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Israel.

¹⁵For if you turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and you will destroy all this people."

¹⁶They came near to him, and said, "We will build sheepfolds here for our livestock, and cities for our little ones:

¹⁷but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them to their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.

¹⁸We will not return to our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.

¹⁹For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward."

²⁰Moses said to them, "If you will do this thing, if you will arm yourselves to go before the Lord to the war,

²¹and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before the Lord, until he has driven out his enemies from before him,

²²and the land is subdued before the Lord; then afterward you shall return, and be guiltless towards the Lord, and towards Israel; and this land shall be to you for a possession before the Lord.

²³"But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.

²⁴Build cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which has proceeded out of your mouth."

²⁵The children of Gad and the children of Reuben spoke to Moses, saying, "Your servants will do as my lord commands.

²⁶Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;

²⁷but your servants will pass over, every man who is armed for war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord says."

²⁸So Moses commanded concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers' households of the tribes of the children of Israel.

²⁹Moses said to them, "If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man who is armed to battle, before the Lord, and the land shall be subdued before you; then you shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:

³⁰but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan."

³¹The children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, "As the Lord has said to your servants, so will we do.

³²We will pass over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan."

³³Moses gave to them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and to the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to its cities and borders, even the cities of the surrounding land.

³⁴The children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

³⁵and Atrothshophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,

³⁶and Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.

³⁷The children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,

³⁸and Nebo, and Baal Meon, (their names being changed), and Sibmah: and they gave other names to the cities which they built.

³⁹The children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were therein.

⁴⁰Moses gave Gilead to Machir the son of Manasseh; and he lived therein.

⁴¹Jair the son of Manasseh went and took its towns, and called them Havvoth Jair.

⁴²Nobah went and took Kenath, and its villages, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

¹These are the journeys of the children of Israel, when they went forth out of the land of Egypt by their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.

²Moses wrote their goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of the Lord: and these are their journeys according to their goings out.

³They traveled from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of the first month; on the next day after the Passover the children of Israel went out with a high hand in the sight of all the Egyptians,

⁴while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, whom the Lord had struck among them: on their gods also the Lord executed judgments.

⁵The children of Israel traveled from Rameses, and encamped in Succoth.

⁶They traveled from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, which is in the edge of the wilderness.

⁷They traveled from Etham, and turned back to Pihahiroth, which is before Baal Zephon: and they encamped before Migdol.

⁸They traveled from before Hahiroth, and passed through the midst of the sea into the wilderness: and they went three days' journey in the wilderness of Etham, and encamped in Marah.

⁹They traveled from Marah, and came to Elim: and in Elim were twelve springs of water, and seventy palm trees; and they encamped there.

¹⁰They traveled from Elim, and encamped by the Red Sea.

¹¹They traveled from the Red Sea, and encamped in the wilderness of Sin.

¹²They traveled from the wilderness of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah.

¹³They traveled from Dophkah, and encamped in Alush.

¹⁴They traveled from Alush, and encamped in Rephidim, where there was no water for the people to drink.

¹⁵They traveled from Rephidim, and encamped in the wilderness of Sinai.

¹⁶They traveled from the wilderness of Sinai, and encamped in Kibroth Hattaavah.

¹⁷They traveled from Kibroth Hattaavah, and encamped in Hazeroth.

¹⁸They traveled from Hazeroth, and encamped in Rithmah.

¹⁹They traveled from Rithmah, and encamped in Rimmon Perez.

²⁰They traveled from Rimmon Perez, and encamped in Libnah.

²¹They traveled from Libnah, and encamped in Rissah.

²²They traveled from Rissah, and encamped in Kehelathah.

²³They traveled from Kehelathah, and encamped in Mount Shepher.

²⁴They traveled from Mount Shepher, and encamped in Haradah.

²⁵They traveled from Haradah, and encamped in Makheloth.

²⁶They traveled from Makheloth, and encamped in Tahath.

²⁷They traveled from Tahath, and encamped in Terah.

²⁸They traveled from Terah, and encamped in Mithkah.

²⁹They traveled from Mithkah, and encamped in Hashmonah.

³⁰They traveled from Hashmonah, and encamped in Moseroth.

³¹They traveled from Moseroth, and encamped in Bene Jaakan.

³²They traveled from Bene Jaakan, and encamped in Hor Haggidgad.

³³They traveled from Hor Haggidgad, and encamped in Jotbathah.

³⁴They traveled from Jotbathah, and encamped in Abronah.

³⁵They traveled from Abronah, and encamped in Ezion Geber.

³⁶They traveled from Ezion Geber, and encamped in the wilderness of Zin (the same is Kadesh).

³⁷They traveled from Kadesh, and encamped in Mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom.

³⁸Aaron the priest went up into Mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt, in the fifth month, on the first day of the month.

³⁹Aaron was one hundred twenty-three years old when he died in Mount Hor.

⁴⁰The Canaanite, the king of Arad, who lived in the Negev in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of Israel.

⁴¹They traveled from Mount Hor, and encamped in Zalmonah.

⁴²They traveled from Zalmonah, and encamped in Punon.

⁴³They traveled from Punon, and encamped in Oboth.

⁴⁴They traveled from Oboth, and encamped in Iye Abarim, in the border of Moab.

⁴⁵They traveled from Iyim, and encamped in Dibon Gad.

⁴⁶They traveled from Dibon Gad, and encamped in Almon Diblathaim.

⁴⁷They traveled from Almon Diblathaim, and encamped in the mountains of Abarim, before Nebo.

⁴⁸They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, and encamped in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho.

⁴⁹They encamped by the Jordan, from Beth Jeshimoth even to Abel Shittim in the plains of Moab.

⁵⁰The Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying,

⁵¹Speak to the children of Israel, and tell them, "When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan,

⁵²then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their stone idols, destroy all their molten images, and demolish all their high places.

⁵³You shall take possession of the land, and dwell therein; for I have given given the land to you to possess it.

⁵⁴You shall inherit the land by lot according to your families; to the more you shall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer you shall give the less inheritance: wherever the lot falls to any man, that shall be his. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers.

⁵⁵"But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those you let remain of them will be as pricks in your eyes and as thorns in your sides, and they will harass you in the land in which you dwell.

⁵⁶It shall happen that as I thought to do to them, so will I do to you."

¹Now it happened on a Sabbath that he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain, and ate, rubbing them in their hands.

²But some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why do you do that which is not lawful on the Sabbath day?"

³Jesus, answering them, said, "Have not you read what David did when he was hungry, he, and those who were with him;

⁴how he entered into the house of God, and took and ate the show bread, and gave also to those who were with him, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone?"

⁵He said to them, "The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

⁶It also happened on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught. There was a man there, and his right hand was withered.

⁷The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him.

⁸But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, "Rise up, and stand in the middle." He arose and stood.

⁹Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to destroy it?"

¹⁰He looked around at them all, and said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He did, and his hand was restored.

¹¹But they were filled with rage, and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.

¹²It happened in these days, that he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.

¹³When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles:

¹⁴Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; Jacob; John; Philip; Bartholomew;

¹⁵Matthew; Thomas; Jacob, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot;

¹⁶Judas the son of Jacob; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor.

¹⁷He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a large crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases;

¹⁸as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed.

¹⁹All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

²⁰He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.

²²Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.

²³Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

²⁴"But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation.

²⁵Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.

²⁷"But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

²⁸bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.

²⁹To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your coat also.

³⁰Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.

³¹"Treat others as you would have them treat you.

³²If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

³³If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

³⁴If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much.

³⁵But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

³⁶Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.

³⁷Do not judge, and you won't be judged. Do not condemn, and you won't be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.

³⁸"Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you."

³⁹He spoke a parable to them. "Can the blind guide the blind? Won't they both fall into a pit?

⁴⁰A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.

⁴¹And why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother's eye, but do not consider the log that is in your own eye?

⁴²Or how can you tell your brother, 'Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the log from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother's eye.

⁴³For there is no good tree that brings forth rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that brings forth good fruit.

⁴⁴For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

⁴⁵The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

⁴⁶"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say?

⁴⁷Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like.

⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

⁴⁹But he who hears, and does not do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great."

¹ The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks, and calls the earth from sunrise to sunset.

²Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth.

³Our God comes, and does not keep silent. A fire devours before him. It is very stormy around him.

⁴He calls to the heavens above, to the earth, that he may judge his people:

⁵"Gather my holy ones together to me, those who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice."

⁶The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.

⁷"Hear, my people, and I will speak; Israel, and I will testify against you. I am God, your God.

⁸I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices. Your burnt offerings are continually before me.

⁹I have no need for a bull from your stall, nor male goats from your pens.

¹⁰For every animal of the forest is mine, and the livestock on a thousand hills.

¹¹I know all the birds of the mountains. The wild animals of the field are mine.

¹²If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

¹⁴Offer to God the sacrifice of thanksgiving. Pay your vows to the Most High.

¹⁵Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me."

¹⁶But to the wicked God says, "What right do you have to declare my statutes, that you have taken my covenant on your lips,

¹⁷seeing you hate instruction, and throw my words behind you?

¹⁸When you saw a thief, you consented with him, and have participated with adulterers.

¹⁹"You give your mouth to evil. Your tongue frames deceit.

²⁰You sit and speak against your brother. You slander your own mother's son.

²¹You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.

²²"Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you into pieces, and there be none to deliver.

²³Whoever offers the sacrifice of thanksgiving glorifies me, and prepares his way so that I will show God's salvation to him."

¹Better is the poor who walks in his integrity than he who is perverse in his lips and is a fool.

²It isn't good to have zeal without knowledge; nor being hasty with one's feet and missing the way.

³The foolishness of man subverts his way; his heart rages against the Lord.

⁴Wealth adds many friends, but the poor is separated from his friend.

⁵A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who pours out lies shall not go free.

⁶Many will entreat the favor of a ruler, and everyone is a friend to a man who gives gifts.

⁷All the relatives of the poor shun him: how much more do his friends avoid him! He pursues them with pleas, but they are gone.

⁸He who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He who keeps understanding shall find good.

⁹A false witness shall not be unpunished. He who utters lies shall perish.

¹⁰Delicate living is not appropriate for a fool, much less for a servant to have rule over princes.

¹¹The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger. It is his glory to overlook an offense.

¹²The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

¹³A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife's quarrels are a continual dripping.

¹⁴House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

¹⁵Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep. The idle soul shall suffer hunger.

¹⁶He who keeps the commandment keeps his soul, but he who is contemptuous in his ways shall die.

¹⁷He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord; he will reward him.

¹⁸Discipline your son, for there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

¹⁹A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty, for if you rescue him, you must do it again.

²⁰Listen to counsel and receive instruction, that you may be wise in your latter end.

²¹There are many plans in a man's heart, but the Lord's counsel will prevail.

²²That which makes a man to be desired is his kindness. A poor man is better than a liar.

²³The fear of the Lord leads to life, then contentment; he rests and will not be touched by trouble.

²⁴The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

²⁵Flog a scoffer, and the simple will learn prudence; rebuke one who has understanding, and he will gain knowledge.

²⁶He who robs his father and drives away his mother, is a son who causes shame and brings reproach.

²⁷If you stop listening to instruction, my son, you will stray from the words of knowledge.

²⁸A corrupt witness mocks justice, and the mouth of the wicked gulps down iniquity.

²⁹Penalties are prepared for scoffers, and beatings for the backs of fools.