10 q“One who is rfaithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in sthat which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 pNo servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
The Law and the Kingdom of God
14 tThe Pharisees, who were ulovers of money, heard all these things, and they vridiculed him. 15 And he said to them, “You are those who wjustify yourselves before men, but xGod knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men yis an abomination in the sight of God.
16 z“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then athe good news of the kingdom of God is preached, and beveryone forces his way into it.1 17 But cit is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.
Divorce and Remarriage
18 d“Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.
Fight the Good Fight of Faith
11 But as for you, jO man of God, kflee these things. lPursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. 12 mFight the good fight of the faith. nTake hold of the eternal life oto which you were called and about which you made pthe good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 13 qI charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, rwho in his testimony before1 Pontius Pilate made pthe good confession, 14 to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until sthe appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 which he will display tat the proper time—he who is uthe blessed and only Sovereign, vthe King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 wwho alone has immortality, xwho dwells in yunapproachable light, zwhom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
17 As for the rich in athis present age, charge them bnot to be haughty, nor cto set their hopes on dthe uncertainty of riches, but on God, ewho richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 18 They are to do good, fto be rich in good works, to be generous and gready to share, 19 thus hstoring up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may itake hold of jthat which is truly life.
20 O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. kAvoid the lirreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” 21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith.
The Proverbs of Solomon
1 cThe proverbs of Solomon.
dA wise son makes a glad father,
ebut a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2 fTreasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
gbut righteousness delivers from death.
3 hThe Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
ibut he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4 A slack hand jcauses poverty,
kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who lgathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is ma son who brings shame.
6 Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but nthe mouth of the wicked conceals violence.1
7 oThe memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but pthe name of the wicked will rot.
8 qThe wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9 rWhoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked swill be found out.
10 Whoever twinks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 uThe mouth of the righteous is va fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked nconceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
but wlove covers all offenses.
13 On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but xa rod is for the back of him who ylacks sense.
14 The wise zlay up knowledge,
but athe mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15 bA rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16 The wage of the righteous leads cto life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
Rebuilding the Wall
1 Then bEliashib the high priest rose up with his brothers the priests, and they built cthe Sheep Gate. They consecrated it and dset its doors. They consecrated it as far as the Tower of the Hundred, as far as the eTower of Hananel. 2 And next to him fthe men of Jericho built. And next to them1 Zaccur the son of Imri built.
3 The sons of Hassenaah built gthe Fish Gate. hThey laid its beams and dset its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 4 And next to them iMeremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired. And next to them jMeshullam the son of Berechiah, son of Meshezabel repaired. And next to them Zadok the son of Baana repaired. 5 And next to them kthe Tekoites repaired, but their nobles would not stoop to serve their Lord.2
6 Joiada the son of Paseah and Meshullam the son of Besodeiah lrepaired the Gate of Yeshanah.3 hThey laid its beams and dset its doors, its bolts, and its bars. 7 And next to them repaired Melatiah the Gibeonite and Jadon the Meronothite, the men of Gibeon and of Mizpah, the seat of mthe governor of the province Beyond the River. 8 Next to them Uzziel the son of Harhaiah, goldsmiths, repaired. Next to him Hananiah, one of the perfumers, repaired, and they restored Jerusalem as far as nthe Broad Wall. 9 Next to them Rephaiah the son of Hur, oruler of half the district of4 Jerusalem, repaired. 10 Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph repaired opposite his house. And next to him Hattush the son of Hashabneiah repaired. 11 Malchijah the son of Harim and Hasshub the son of Pahath-moab repaired another section and pthe Tower of the Ovens. 12 Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, qruler of half the district of Jerusalem, repaired, he and his daughters.
13 Hanun and the inhabitants of Zanoah repaired rthe Valley Gate. They rebuilt it and sset its doors, its bolts, and its bars, and repaired a thousand cubits5 of the wall, as far as tthe Dung Gate.
14 Malchijah the son of Rechab, ruler of the district of uBeth-haccherem, repaired tthe Dung Gate. He rebuilt it and sset its doors, its bolts, and its bars.
15 And Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, ruler of the district of Mizpah, repaired vthe Fountain Gate. He rebuilt it and covered it and sset its doors, its bolts, and its bars. And he built the wall of wthe Pool of Shelah of xthe king’s garden, as far as ythe stairs that go down from the city of David. 16 After him Nehemiah the son of Azbuk, ruler of half the district of Beth-zur, repaired to a point opposite zthe tombs of David, as far as athe artificial pool, and as far as the house of the mighty men. 17 After him the Levites repaired: Rehum the son of Bani. Next to him Hashabiah, ruler of half the district of Keilah, repaired for his district. 18 After him their brothers repaired: Bavvai the son of Henadad, ruler of half the district of Keilah. 19 Next to him Ezer the son of Jeshua, ruler of Mizpah, repaired another section opposite the ascent to the armory at bthe buttress.6 20 After him Baruch the son of Zabbai repaired7 another section from the buttress to the door of the house of cEliashib the high priest. 21 After him dMeremoth the son of Uriah, son of Hakkoz repaired another section from the door of the house of Eliashib to the end of the house of Eliashib. 22 After him the priests, the men of ethe surrounding area, repaired. 23 After them Benjamin and Hasshub repaired opposite their house. After them Azariah the son of Maaseiah, son of Ananiah repaired beside his own house. 24 After him Binnui the son of Henadad repaired another section, from the house of Azariah to the buttress and to fthe corner. 25 Palal the son of Uzai repaired opposite the buttress and the tower projecting from the upper house of the king at gthe court of the guard. After him Pedaiah the son of Parosh 26 hand the temple servants living on iOphel repaired to a point opposite jthe Water Gate on the east and the projecting tower. 27 After him kthe Tekoites repaired another section opposite the great projecting tower as far as the wall of Ophel.
28 Above lthe Horse Gate the priests repaired, each one opposite his own house. 29 After them Zadok the son of Immer repaired opposite his own house. After him Shemaiah the son of Shecaniah, the keeper of the East Gate, repaired. 30 After him Hananiah the son of Shelemiah and Hanun the sixth son of Zalaph repaired another section. After him mMeshullam the son of Berechiah repaired opposite nhis chamber. 31 After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, repaired as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, opposite the Muster Gate,8 and to the upper chamber of the corner. 32 And between the upper chamber of the corner and othe Sheep Gate the goldsmiths and the merchants repaired.