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105 Bible Verses about Drunkenness
The Bible offers a lot of guidance about alcohol. Leviticus 10:91 says, "You and your sons are not to drink wine or other fermented drink whenever you go into the tent of meeting, or you will die. This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." This passage doesn't mean we can't ever have a drink. Alcohol itself isn't sinful.
However, the Bible is very clear that we should steer clear of drunkenness and addiction. Ephesians 5:182 tells us, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit." And 1 Corinthians 6:123 reminds us, "‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything."
So, think about it. While enjoying a drink might not be wrong in itself, it's important to be mindful and make sure it's not controlling you. It's about living a life that honors God and allows the Holy Spirit to guide you.
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. [Prov. 23:20.]
Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the [open light of] day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy.
Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.
Woe unto those who rise early in the morning, that they may pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the night till wine inflames them!
Harlotry and wine and new wine take away the heart and the mind and the spiritual understanding.
WINE IS a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise. [Prov. 23:29, 30; Isa. 28:7; Hos. 4:11.]
Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away, and wine to him in bitter distress of heart.
The right thing is to eat no meat or drink no wine [at all], or [do anything else] if it makes your brother stumble or hurts his conscience or offends or weakens him.
Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Woe to him who gives his neighbors drink, who pours out your bottle to them and adds to it your poisonous and blighting wrath and also makes them drunk, that you may look on their stripped condition and pour out foul shame [on their glory]!
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no profit (advantage, avail) to you [for if you distrust Him, you can gain nothing from Him].Idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger (ill temper), selfishness, divisions (dissensions), party spirit (factions, sects with peculiar opinions, heresies),Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
Woe to those who are mighty heroes at drinking wine and men of strength in mixing alcoholic drinks!–
In like manner the deacons [must be] worthy of respect, not shifty and double-talkers but sincere in what they say, not given to much wine, not greedy for base gain [craving wealth and resorting to ignoble and dishonest methods of getting it].
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness and dimness of eyes?Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].Those who tarry long at the wine, those who go to seek and try mixed wine. [Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:18.]Do not look at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the wineglass, when it goes down smoothly.At the last it bites like a serpent and stings like an adder.[Under the influence of wine] your eyes will behold strange things [and loose women] and your mind will utter things turned the wrong way [untrue, incorrect, and petulant].Yes, you will be [as unsteady] as he who lies down in the midst of the sea, and [as open to disaster] as he who lies upon the top of a mast.You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave and seek more wine again [and escape reality].
Woe unto those who rise early in the morning, that they may pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the night till wine inflames them!They have lyre and harp, tambourine and flute and wine at their feasts, but they do not regard the deeds of the Lord, neither do they consider the operation of His hands [in mercy and in judgment].
Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat, [Isa. 5:22; Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13; Eph. 5:18.]For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.
He causes vegetation to grow for the cattle, and all that the earth produces for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food out of the earth–And wine that gladdens the heart of man, to make his face shine more than oil, and bread to support, refresh, and strengthen man's heart.
It is not for kings, O Lemuel, it is not for kings to drink wine, or for rulers to desire strong drink, [Eccl. 10:17; Hos. 4:11.]Lest they drink and forget the law and what it decrees, and pervert the justice due any of the afflicted.
But take heed to yourselves and be on your guard, lest your hearts be overburdened and depressed (weighed down) with the giddiness and headache and nausea of self-indulgence, drunkenness, and worldly worries and cares pertaining to [the business of] this life, and [lest] that day come upon you suddenly like a trap or a noose;
But now I write to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of [Christian] brother if he is known to be guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater [whose soul is devoted to any object that usurps the place of God], or is a person with a foul tongue [railing, abusing, reviling, slandering], or is a drunkard or a swindler or a robber. [No] you must not so much as eat with such a person.
WHOEVER LOVES instruction and correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is like a brute beast, stupid and indiscriminating.
Their sorrows shall be multiplied who choose another god; their drink offerings of blood will I not offer or take their names upon my lips.
But even these reel from wine and stagger from strong drink: the priest and the prophet reel from strong drink; they are confused from wine, they stagger and are gone astray through strong drink; they err in vision, they stumble when pronouncing judgment.
Then the Lord awakened as from sleep, as a strong man whose consciousness of power is heightened by wine.And He smote His adversaries in the back [as they fled]; He put them to lasting shame and reproach.
They grope in the dark without light, and He makes them to stagger and wander like a drunken man.
Happy (fortunate and to be envied) are you, O land, when your king is a free man and of noble birth and character and when your officials feast at the proper time–for strength and not for drunkenness! [Isa. 32:8.]
WHEN YOU sit down to eat with a ruler, consider who and what are before you;Remove not the ancient landmark and enter not into the fields of the fatherless, [Deut. 19:14; 27:17; Prov. 22:28.]For their Redeemer is mighty; He will plead their cause against you.Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge.Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike and punish him with the [reedlike] rod, he will not die.You shall whip him with the rod and deliver his life from Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead).My son, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;Yes, my heart will rejoice when your lips speak right things.Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord all the day long.For surely there is a latter end [a future and a reward], and your hope and expectation shall not be cut off.Hear, my son, and be wise, and direct your mind in the way [of the Lord].For you will put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to desire.Do not associate with winebibbers; be not among them nor among gluttonous eaters of meat, [Isa. 5:22; Luke 21:34; Rom. 13:13; Eph. 5:18.]For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty, and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.Hearken to your father, who begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.Buy the truth and sell it not; not only that, but also get discernment and judgment, instruction and understanding.The father of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God) shall greatly rejoice, and he who becomes the father of a wise child shall have joy in him.Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her who bore you rejoice.My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe and delight in my ways,For a harlot is a deep ditch, and a loose woman is a narrow pit.She also lies in wait as a robber or as one waits for prey, and she increases the treacherous among men.Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaining? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness and dimness of eyes?Be not desirous of his dainties, for it is deceitful food [offered with questionable motives].
A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones. [Prov. 12:25; 15:13, 15.]
But if that servant says in his heart, My master is late in coming, and begins to strike the menservants and the maids and to eat and drink and get drunk,
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit. [Prov. 23:20.]Speak out to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, offering praise with voices [and instruments] and making melody with all your heart to the Lord,And walk in love, [esteeming and delighting in one another] as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God [for you, so that it became] a sweet fragrance. [Ezek. 20:41.]At all times and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
Give strong drink [as medicine] to him who is ready to pass away, and wine to him in bitter distress of heart.Let him drink and forget his poverty and [seriously] remember his want and misery no more.
Whoever loves skillful and godly Wisdom rejoices his father, but he who associates with harlots wastes his substance.
So then, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you may do, do all for the honor and glory of God.
Bid the older women similarly to be reverent and devout in their deportment as becomes those engaged in sacred service, not slanderers or slaves to drink. They are to give good counsel and be teachers of what is right and noble,
[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
And wine that gladdens the heart of man, to make his face shine more than oil, and bread to support, refresh, and strengthen man's heart.
WINE IS a mocker, strong drink a riotous brawler; and whoever errs or reels because of it is not wise. [Prov. 23:29, 30; Isa. 28:7; Hos. 4:11.]Diverse weights [one for buying and another for selling] and diverse measures–both of them are exceedingly offensive and abhorrent to the Lord. [Deut. 25:13; Mic. 6:10, 11.]Even a child is known by his acts, whether [or not] what he does is pure and right.The hearing ear and the seeing eye–the Lord has made both of them.Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes and you will be satisfied with bread.It is worthless, it is worthless! says the buyer; but when he goes his way, then he boasts [about his bargain].There is gold, and a multitude of pearls, but the lips of knowledge are a vase of preciousness [the most precious of all]. [Job 28:12, 16-19; Prov. 3:15; 8:11.][The judge tells the creditor] Take the garment of one who is security for a stranger; and hold him in pledge when he is security for foreigners.Food gained by deceit is sweet to a man, but afterward his mouth will be filled with gravel.Purposes and plans are established by counsel; and [only] with good advice make or carry on war.He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; therefore associate not with him who talks too freely. [Rom. 16:17, 18.]The terror of a king is as the roaring of a lion; whoever provokes him to anger or angers himself against him sins against his own life.
I say to you, I shall not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it with you new and of superior quality in My Father's kingdom.
I searched in my mind how to cheer my body with wine–yet at the same time having my mind hold its course and guide me with [human] wisdom–and how to lay hold of folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.
No more will they drink wine with a song; strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.
For the time that is past already suffices for doing what the Gentiles like to do–living [as you have done] in shameless, insolent wantonness, in lustful desires, drunkenness, reveling, drinking bouts and abominable, lawless idolatries.
Eat not the bread of him who has a hard, grudging, and envious eye, neither desire his dainty foods;For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. As one who reckons, he says to you, eat and drink, yet his heart is not with you [but is grudging the cost].The morsel which you have eaten you will vomit up, and your complimentary words will be wasted.
Now the doings (practices) of the flesh are clear (obvious): they are immorality, impurity, indecency,
FRET NOT yourself because of evildoers, neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness (that which is not upright or in right standing with God).For yet a little while, and the evildoers will be no more; though you look with care where they used to be, they will not be found. [Heb. 10:36, 37; Rev. 21:7, 8.]But the meek [in the end] shall inherit the earth and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. [Ps. 37:29; Matt. 5:5.]The wicked plot against the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright in right standing with God); they gnash at them with their teeth.The Lord laughs at [the wicked], for He sees that their own day [of defeat] is coming.The wicked draw the sword and bend their bows to cast down the poor and needy, to slay those who walk uprightly (blameless in conduct and in conversation).The swords [of the wicked] shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken.Better is the little that the [uncompromisingly] righteous have than the abundance [of possessions] of many who are wrong and wicked. [I Tim. 6:6, 7.]For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the [consistently] righteous.The Lord knows the days of the upright and blameless, and their heritage will abide forever.They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil; and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.
Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
THE PROVERBS of Solomon: A wise son makes a glad father, but a foolish and self-confident son is the grief of his mother.
For my life is spent with sorrow and my years with sighing; my strength has failed because of my iniquity, and even my bones have wasted away.
Drink water no longer exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
Let us live and conduct ourselves honorably and becomingly as in the [open light of] day, not in reveling (carousing) and drunkenness, not in immorality and debauchery (sensuality and licentiousness), not in quarreling and jealousy.But clothe yourself with the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and make no provision for [indulging] the flesh [put a stop to thinking about the evil cravings of your physical nature] to [gratify its] desires (lusts).
Judgments are prepared for scoffers, and stripes for the backs of [self-confident] fools. [Isa. 32:6.]
You will say, They struck me, but I was not hurt! They beat me [as with a hammer], but I did not feel it! When shall I awake? I will crave and seek more wine again [and escape reality].
And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor–it is the gift of God.
I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].
BLESS (AFFECTIONATELY, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [deepest] within me, bless His holy name!He has not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great are His mercy and loving-kindness toward those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him.As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.As a father loves and pities his children, so the Lord loves and pities those who fear Him [with reverence, worship, and awe].For He knows our frame, He [earnestly] remembers and imprints [on His heart] that we are dust.As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourishes.For the wind passes over it and it is gone, and its place shall know it no more.But the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord are from everlasting to everlasting upon those who reverently and worshipfully fear Him, and His righteousness is to children's children–[Deut. 10:12.]To such as keep His covenant [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it] and to those who [earnestly] remember His commandments to do them [imprinting them on their hearts].The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His kingdom rules over all.Bless (affectionately, gratefully praise) the Lord, O my soul, and forget not [one of] all His benefits–
Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,Do you not know that the saints (the believers) will [one day] judge and govern the world? And if the world [itself] is to be judged and ruled by you, are you unworthy and incompetent to try [such petty matters] of the smallest courts of justice?You were bought with a price [purchased with a preciousness and paid for, made His own]. So then, honor God and bring glory to Him in your body.
Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap.
MY SON, forget not my law or teaching, but let your heart keep my commandments;So shall your storage places be filled with plenty, and your vats shall be overflowing with new wine. [Deut. 28:8.]My son, do not despise or shrink from the chastening of the Lord [His correction by punishment or by subjection to suffering or trial]; neither be weary of or impatient about or loathe or abhor His reproof, [Ps. 94:12; Heb. 12:5, 6; Rev. 3:19.]For whom the Lord loves He corrects, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.Happy (blessed, fortunate, enviable) is the man who finds skillful and godly Wisdom, and the man who gets understanding [drawing it forth from God's Word and life's experiences],For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, and the profit of it better than fine gold.Skillful and godly Wisdom is more precious than rubies; and nothing you can wish for is to be compared to her. [Job 28:12-18.]Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand are riches and honor. [Prov. 8:12-21; I Tim. 4:8.]Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.She is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast.The Lord by skillful and godly Wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens. [Col. 1:16.]For length of days and years of a life [worth living] and tranquility [inward and outward and continuing through old age till death], these shall they add to you.
In whose eyes a vile person is despised, but he who honors those who fear the Lord (who revere and worship Him); who swears to his own hurt and does not change;
THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us,For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness.For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness–in conformity to God's will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God].So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, [Isa. 35:3.]And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured.Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God's grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it–That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. [Gen. 25:29-34.]For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears. [Gen. 27:30-40.]For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm,And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them. [Exod. 19:12-22; 20:18-21; Deut. 4:11, 12; 5:22-27.]Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. [Ps. 110:1.]
Do you not discern and understand that you [the whole church at Corinth] are God's temple (His sanctuary), and that God's Spirit has His permanent dwelling in you [to be at home in you, collectively as a church and also individually]?If anyone does hurt to God's temple or corrupts it [with false doctrines] or destroys it, God will do hurt to him and bring him to the corruption of death and destroy him. For the temple of God is holy (sacred to Him) and that [temple] you [the believing church and its individual believers] are.
HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent.For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. [Luke 4:10, 11; Heb. 1:14.]You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. [Luke 10:19.]Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness–trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never].He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is hasty of spirit exposes and exalts his folly. [Prov. 16:32; James 1:19.]
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but an encouraging word makes it glad. [Ps. 50:4; Prov. 15:13.]
For thus says the high and lofty One–He Who inhabits eternity, Whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, but with him also who is of a thoroughly penitent and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the thoroughly penitent [bruised with sorrow for sin]. [Matt. 5:3.]
Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul.
If your right eye serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, pluck it out and throw it away. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be cast into hell (Gehenna).Blessed (happy, to be envied, and spiritually prosperous–with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of heaven!And if your right hand serves as a trap to ensnare you or is an occasion for you to stumble and sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better that you lose one of your members than that your entire body should be cast into hell (Gehenna).
Can a man take fire in his bosom and his clothes not be burned?Can one go upon hot coals and his feet not be burned?So he who cohabits with his neighbor's wife [will be tortured with evil consequences and just retribution]; he who touches her shall not be innocent or go unpunished.
But if your brother is being pained or his feelings hurt or if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt or cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died!
Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but [only] one receives the prize? So run [your race] that you may lay hold [of the prize] and make it yours.Now every athlete who goes into training conducts himself temperately and restricts himself in all things. They do it to win a wreath that will soon wither, but we [do it to receive a crown of eternal blessedness] that cannot wither.Therefore I do not run uncertainly (without definite aim). I do not box like one beating the air and striking without an adversary.But [like a boxer] I buffet my body [handle it roughly, discipline it by hardships] and subdue it, for fear that after proclaiming to others the Gospel and things pertaining to it, I myself should become unfit [not stand the test, be unapproved and rejected as a counterfeit].
For the bishop (an overseer) as God's steward must be blameless, not self-willed or arrogant or presumptuous; he must not be quick-tempered or given to drink or pugnacious (brawling, violent); he must not be grasping and greedy for filthy lucre (financial gain);
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, he who rules his [own] spirit than he who takes a city.
But those who crave to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish (useless, godless) and hurtful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction and miserable perishing.
All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
Keep and guard your heart with all vigilance and above all that you guard, for out of it flow the springs of life.
Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him.
I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship.Love one another with brotherly affection [as members of one family], giving precedence and showing honor to one another.Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord.Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.Contribute to the needs of God's people [sharing in the necessities of the saints]; pursue the practice of hospitality.Bless those who persecute you [who are cruel in their attitude toward you]; bless and do not curse them.Rejoice with those who rejoice [sharing others' joy], and weep with those who weep [sharing others' grief].Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty (snobbish, high-minded, exclusive), but readily adjust yourself to [people, things] and give yourselves to humble tasks. Never overestimate yourself or be wise in your own conceits. [Prov. 3:7.]Repay no one evil for evil, but take thought for what is honest and proper and noble [aiming to be above reproach] in the sight of everyone. [Prov. 20:22.]If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave the way open for [God's] wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay (requite), says the Lord. [Deut. 32:35.]Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect [in His sight for you].
Incline my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetousness (robbery, sensuality, unworthy riches). [Ezek. 33:31; Mark 7:21, 22; I Tim. 6:10; Heb. 13:5.]
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
The merciful, kind, and generous man benefits himself [for his deeds return to bless him], but he who is cruel and callous [to the wants of others] brings on himself retribution.
For the fool speaks folly and his mind plans iniquity: practicing profane ungodliness and speaking error concerning the Lord, leaving the craving of the hungry unsatisfied and causing the drink of the thirsty to fail.
UNTO YOU, O Lord, do I bring my life.All the paths of the Lord are mercy and steadfast love, even truth and faithfulness are they for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies.For Your name's sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity and my guilt, for [they are] great.Who is the man who reverently fears and worships the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that he should choose.He himself shall dwell at ease, and his offspring shall inherit the land.The secret [of the sweet, satisfying companionship] of the Lord have they who fear (revere and worship) Him, and He will show them His covenant and reveal to them its [deep, inner] meaning. [John 7:17; 15:15.]My eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He will pluck my feet out of the net.[Lord] turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.The troubles of my heart are multiplied; bring me out of my distresses.Behold my affliction and my pain and forgive all my sins [of thinking and doing].Consider my enemies, for they abound; they hate me with cruel hatred.O my God, I trust, lean on, rely on, and am confident in You. Let me not be put to shame or [my hope in You] be disappointed; let not my enemies triumph over me.
Apply your mind to instruction and correction and your ears to words of knowledge.Withhold not discipline from the child; for if you strike and punish him with the [reedlike] rod, he will not die.You shall whip him with the rod and deliver his life from Sheol (Hades, the place of the dead).
And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act as he would wish him to act shall be beaten with many [lashes].But he who did not know and did things worthy of a beating shall be beaten with few [lashes]. For everyone to whom much is given, of him shall much be required; and of him to whom men entrust much, they will require and demand all the more. [Num. 15:29, 30; Deut. 25:2, 3.]
Envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like. I warn you beforehand, just as I did previously, that those who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness,
Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God.And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Do not be so deceived and misled! Evil companionships (communion, associations) corrupt and deprave good manners and morals and character.
Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.
Rejoice and exult in hope; be steadfast and patient in suffering and tribulation; be constant in prayer.
You, therefore, must be perfect [growing into complete maturity of godliness in mind and character, having reached the proper height of virtue and integrity], as your heavenly Father is perfect. [Lev. 19:2, 18.]
The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding.
Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).
Have you found [pleasure sweet like] honey? Eat only as much as is sufficient for you, lest, being filled with it, you vomit it.
Let not sin therefore rule as king in your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies, to make you yield to its cravings and be subject to its lusts and evil passions.Do not continue offering or yielding your bodily members [and faculties] to sin as instruments (tools) of wickedness. But offer and yield yourselves to God as though you have been raised from the dead to [perpetual] life, and your bodily members [and faculties] to God, presenting them as implements of righteousness.
And let us not lose heart and grow weary and faint in acting nobly and doing right, for in due time and at the appointed season we shall reap, if we do not loosen and relax our courage and faint.
Great peace have they who love Your law; nothing shall offend them or make them stumble. [Prov. 3:2; Isa. 32:17.]
Not given to wine, not combative but gentle and considerate, not quarrelsome but forbearing and peaceable, and not a lover of money [insatiable for wealth and ready to obtain it by questionable means].