Mark 7.1-13)

¹About this time some Pharisees and teachers of the Law of Moses came from Jerusalem. They asked Jesus, ²“Why don’t your disciples obey what our ancestors taught us to do? They don’t even wash their hands ^[a] before they eat.” ³Jesus answered:

Why do you disobey God and follow your own teaching? ⁴Didn’t God command you to respect your father and mother? Didn’t he tell you to put to death all who curse their parents? ⁵But you let people get by without helping their parents when they should. You let them say that what they have has been offered to God. ^{[b] 6}Is this any way to show respect to your parents? You ignore God’s commands in order to follow your own teaching. ⁷And you are nothing but show-offs! Isaiah the prophet was right when he wrote that God had said, ⁸“All of you praise me

with your words,

but you never really

think about me.

⁹It is useless for you

to worship me,

when you teach rules

made up by humans.”

Proverbs 23 (Contemporary English Version)

Proverbs 23
-6-
1 When you are invited
to eat with a king,

use your best manners.

2Don’t go and stuff yourself!

That would be just the same

as cutting your throat.

3Don’t be greedy for all

of that fancy food!

It may not be so tasty.

-7-
4 Give up trying so hard
to get rich.

5Your money flies away

before you know it,

just like an eagle

suddenly taking off.

-8-
6 Don’t accept an invitation
to eat a selfish person’s food,

no matter how good it is.

7People like that take note

of how much you eat. [a] They say, “Take all you want!”

But they don’t mean it.

8Each bite will come back up,

and all your kind words

will be wasted.

-9-
9 Don’t talk to fools–
they will just make fun.

-10-
10 Don’t move a boundary marker [b] or take the land
that belongs to orphans.

11God All-Powerful is there

to defend them against you.

-11-
12 Listen to instruction
and do your best to learn.

-12-
13 Don’t fail to correct
your children.

You won’t kill them

by being firm,

14and it may even

save their lives.

-13-
15 My children,
if you show good sense,

I will be happy,

16and if you are truthful,

I will really be glad.

-14-
17 Don’t be jealous of sinners,
but always honor the LORD.

18Then you will truly have hope

for the future.

-15-
19 Listen to me, my children!
Be wise and have enough sense

to follow the right path.

20Don’t be a heavy drinker

or stuff yourself with food.

21It will make you feel drowsy,

and you will end up poor

with only rags to wear.

-16-
22 Pay attention to your father,
and don’t neglect your mother

when she grows old.

23Invest in truth and wisdom,

discipline and good sense,

and don’t part with them.

24Make your father truly happy

by living right

and showing

sound judgment.

25Make your parents proud,

especially your mother.

-17-
26 My son, pay close attention,
and gladly follow

my example.

27Bad women and unfaithful wives

are like a deep pit–

28they are waiting to attack you

like a gang of robbers

with victim after victim.

-18-
29 Who is always in trouble?
Who argues and fights?

Who has cuts and bruises?

Whose eyes are red?

30Everyone who stays up late,

having just one more drink.

31Don’t even look

at that colorful stuff

bubbling up in the glass!

It goes down so easily,

32but later it bites

like a poisonous snake.

33You will see weird things,

and your mind

will play tricks on you.

34You will feel tossed about

like someone trying to sleep

on a ship in a storm.

35You will be bruised all over,

without even remembering

how it all happened.

And you will lie awake asking,

“When will morning come,

so I can drink some more?”