A Warning to the Rich (Proverbs 23:1–5; 1 Timothy 6:17–19)
1 UST Now I have something to say to you rich people{ who say you believe in Jesus}. Listen to me! You should weep and wail loudly because you are going to experience terrible troubles! BSB BSB: Come now, you who are rich, weep and wail over the misery to come upon you.
2 UST Your wealth is worthless, as though it were rotten. Your fine clothes are worthless, as though moths had ruined them. BSB BSB: Your riches have rotted and moths have eaten your clothes.
3 UST Your gold and silver are worthless, as though they were corroded.{ When God judges you,} this worthless wealth of yours will be evidence that you are guilty{ of being greedy}. Just as rust and fire destroy things, God will severely punish you. You should not have been trying to get richer and richer knowing that Jesus was going to return.{ When he returns, your riches will be worthless.} BSB BSB: Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and consume your flesh like fire. You have hoarded treasure in the last days.
4 UST Think about what you have done. You did not pay the wages you promised to the workers who harvested your fields. These unpaid wages show how unfair you were to these workers. They are crying out to God because of the way you have treated them. The Lord is a God of great power, and he is listening to their loud cries{ and he will punish you for what you have done}. BSB BSB: Look, the wages you withheld from the workmen who mowed your fields are crying out against you. The cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of Hosts.
5 UST You have bought all the luxuries you wanted for yourselves. Just as cattle fatten themselves, not realizing that they will be slaughtered, you have lived just to enjoy things, not realizing that God will severely punish you. BSB BSB: You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in the day of slaughter.
6 UST You have arranged for others to condemn honest people. You have arranged for others to kill people who had not done anything wrong. They were not able to defend themselves against you.{ But God will judge and punish you for doing all these things.} BSB BSB: You have condemned and murdered the righteous, who did not resist you.
Patience in Suffering (Job 1:1–5)
7 UST So, my fellow believers,{ even though rich people cause you to suffer,} be patient until Jesus the Messiah comes back. Remember that when farmers plant a field, they have to wait for their valuable crops to grow. They have to wait patiently for the rain that comes at the planting season and for more rain that comes just before the harvest season.{ This rain is necessary for the crops to grow and mature so that the farmers can harvest them.} BSB BSB: Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer awaits the precious fruit of the soil—how patient he is for the fall and spring rains.
8 UST Similarly, you also should wait patiently and trust Jesus the Messiah firmly, because he is coming back soon{ and he will judge all people fairly}. BSB BSB: You, too, be patient and strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
9 UST My fellow believers, do not grumble about each other. That way the Lord Jesus will not have to punish you. He is the one who will judge us, and he will come back soon to do that. BSB BSB: Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
10 UST My fellow believers, as an example{ of how to be patient}, consider the prophets whom the Lord God sent long ago to speak his messages. Although people caused them to suffer much, they endured it patiently. BSB BSB: Brothers, as an example of patience in affliction, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
11 UST Consider how, when people are able to endure suffering{ patiently and faithfully}, we say that God has blessed them.{ One example of this is the man named} Job. You know about him{ from the Scriptures}. You know that he suffered many things patiently. You also know that God planned{ to do good things through what Job suffered}. And from that you can tell that God is very caring and kind. BSB BSB: See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
12 UST Now this, my fellow believers, is something very important for you to realize. You must never take an oath by calling on heaven or the earth or anything else to guarantee a promise that you make. All you need to say is“Yes” or“No.” God will judge you{ if you go beyond that and make an oath but then do not keep your promise}. BSB BSB: Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
The Prayer of Faith 13 UST Any one of you who is experiencing trouble should pray{ that God would help him}. Whoever is happy should sing songs of praise{ to God}. BSB BSB: Is any one of you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone cheerful? He should sing praises.
15 UST When these leaders pray to God in faith, God will answer that prayer and heal the person who is sick. The Lord will restore his health. If that person has sinned, God will forgive him{ for those sins}. BSB BSB: And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
16 UST Because the Lord is able to heal the sick and to forgive sins, admit to each other the sinful things you have done and pray for each other. Then God will heal you. If people who are right with God pray, God will answer their prayers in powerful ways. BSB BSB: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
17 UST The prophet Elijah was an ordinary person like us. But when he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, the land{ of Israel} had no rain for three and a half years. BSB BSB: Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18 UST Then Elijah prayed again{, asking God to send rain}, and God made it rain and plants grew and produced crops again. BSB BSB: Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.
Restoring a Sinner 19 UST My fellow believers, if one of you stops obeying the true message from God, then another one of you should persuade that person to do once again what God has told us to do. BSB BSB: My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back,
20 UST I want anyone who helps a sinner to repent to know that because of what he has done, God will save the sinner from spiritual death and will forgive his many sins. BSB BSB: consider this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover over a multitude of sins.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.