If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed, but skill will bring success.

铁器钝了，若不将刃磨快，就必多费气力；但得智慧指教，便有益处。

铁器钝了，若不将刃磨快，就必多费力气；但智慧的益处在于使人成功。

铁器钝了，若不将刃磨快，就必多费力气；但智慧的益处在于使人成功。

斧头钝了若不磨利，用起来必多费力气，但智慧能助人成功。

斧头若钝了，还不把斧刃磨快，就必多费力气；智慧的好处在于助人成功。

铁器钝了，如果不把刃磨利，用起来就多费力气；而智慧无往不利，带来成功。

鐵器鈍了，若不將刃磨快，就必多費氣力；但得智慧指教，便有益處。

鐵器鈍了，若不將刃磨快，就必多費力氣；但智慧的益處在於使人成功。

鐵器鈍了，若不將刃磨快，就必多費力氣；但智慧的益處在於使人成功。

斧頭鈍了若不磨利，用起來必多費力氣，但智慧能助人成功。

斧頭若鈍了，還不把斧刃磨快，就必多費力氣；智慧的好處在於助人成功。

鐵器若鈍了，人又不將刀刃磨快，那麼他就得多費力氣；但智慧的長處是能給人成功。

鐵器鈍了，如果不把刃磨利，用起來就多費力氣；而智慧無往不利，帶來成功。

斧鈍不礪其鋒、則費力尤多、惟智慧使人獲益、

斧斤己鈍、不加磨礪、則斬伐必費其力、智者知所當為。

斧刃已鈍、若不磨礪、斬伐必致費力、有智慧者知當務之為急、有智慧者知當務之為急或作有智慧者知如何治之

Suppose the blade of an ax is dull. And its edge hasn’t been sharpened. Then more effort is needed to use it. But skill will bring success.

If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge, he must use more strength, but wisdom helps one to succeed.

Using a dull ax requires great strength, so sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.

If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of bringing success.

If the ax is dull, And one does not sharpen the edge, Then he must use more strength; But wisdom brings success.

If the iron be blunt, and one do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct.

If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge, then one must exert more strength; however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.

If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom[ is] profitable to direct.

If an iron axhead is blunt and a workman does not sharpen its edge, he must exert a great deal of effort; so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.

If the ax is blunt, and one doesn’t sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

The toil of fools wearies them; they do not know the way to town.

If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Be very careful, then, how you live— not as unwise but as wise,making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.So I said,“ Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools.

Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him.Teach them his decrees and instructions, and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave.But select capable men from all the people— men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain— and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens.Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied.”

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

Now this is what you are to do: A third of you priests and Levites who are going on duty on the Sabbath are to keep watch at the doors,a third of you at the royal palace and a third at the Foundation Gate, and all the others are to be in the courtyards of the temple of the Lord.No one is to enter the temple of the Lord except the priests and Levites on duty; they may enter because they are consecrated, but all the others are to observe the Lord’s command not to enter.The Levites are to station themselves around the king, each with weapon in hand. Anyone who enters the temple is to be put to death. Stay close to the king wherever he goes.”The Levites and all the men of Judah did just as Jehoiada the priest ordered. Each one took his men— those who were going on duty on the Sabbath and those who were going off duty— for Jehoiada the priest had not released any of the divisions.Then he gave the commanders of units of a hundred the spears and the large and small shields that had belonged to King David and that were in the temple of God.He stationed all the men, each with his weapon in his hand, around the king— near the altar and the temple, from the south side to the north side of the temple.Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king’s son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted,“ Long live the king!”

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,“ The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”The apostles and elders met to consider this question.After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:“ Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.When they finished, James spoke up.“ Brothers,” he said,“ listen to me.Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:“‘ After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it,that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’—things known from long ago.“ It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”

Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.

In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said,“ It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to themand will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people.Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen( as it was called)— Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia— who began to argue with Stephen.

“ And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt.Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance.They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food.This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials.So Pharaoh asked them,“ Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?”Then Pharaoh said to Joseph,“ Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.

Brothers and sisters, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults.

from Issachar, men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do— 200 chiefs, with all their relatives under their command;

“ I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.