The Lord says,“ Do not let wise people brag about how wise they are. Do not let strong people boast about how strong they are. Do not let rich people brag about how rich they are.

耶和华如此说：“智慧人不要因他的智慧夸口，勇士不要因他的勇力夸口，财主不要因他的财物夸口。

耶和华如此说：“智慧人不要因他的智慧夸口，勇士不要因他的力气夸口，财主也不要因他的财富夸口；

耶和华如此说：“智慧人不要因他的智慧夸口，勇士不要因他的力气夸口，财主也不要因他的财富夸口；

耶和华说：“智者不要夸耀自己的智慧，勇士不要夸耀自己的力量，富人不要夸耀自己的财富。

耶和华这样说：“智慧人不可夸耀自己的智慧，勇士不可夸耀自己的勇力，财主不可夸耀自己的财富。

耶和華如此說：「智慧人不要因他的智慧誇口，勇士不要因他的勇力誇口，財主不要因他的財物誇口。

耶和華如此說：「智慧人不要因他的智慧誇口，勇士不要因他的力氣誇口，財主也不要因他的財富誇口；

耶和華如此說：「智慧人不要因他的智慧誇口，勇士不要因他的力氣誇口，財主也不要因他的財富誇口；

耶和華說：「智者不要誇耀自己的智慧，勇士不要誇耀自己的力量，富人不要誇耀自己的財富。

耶和華這樣說：“智慧人不可誇耀自己的智慧，勇士不可誇耀自己的勇力，財主不可誇耀自己的財富。

永恆主這麼說：智慧人不要誇耀自己的智慧，勇士不要誇耀自己的勇力，財主也不要誇耀自己的財富；

耶和華曰、智者勿誇其智、勇者勿誇其勇、富者勿誇其富、

耶和華曰、賢者毋自其誇賢、能者毋自矜其能、富者毋自炫其富。

主如是云、智者勿誇其智、勇者勿誇其勇、富者勿誇其富、

This is what the Lord says:“ Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches,

Thus says the Lord:“ Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches,

This is what the Lord says:“ Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches.

“‘ This is what the LORD says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth.

This is what the Lord says:“ Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches;

Thus says the Lord:“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;

Thus saith Jehovah, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;

This is what the Lord says: The wise man must not boast in his wisdom; the strong man must not boast in his strength; the wealthy man must not boast in his wealth.

Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise[ man] glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty[ man] glory in his might, let not the rich[ man] glory in his riches:

The LORD says,“ Wise people should not boast that they are wise. Powerful people should not boast that they are powerful. Rich people should not boast that they are rich.

Yahweh says,“ Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom. Don’t let the mighty man glory in his might. Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.

But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. God chose things considered unimportant to do away with things considered important.So no one can boast to God.

Here’s something else I’ve seen on this earth. Races aren’t always won by those who run fast. Battles aren’t always won by those who are strong. Wise people don’t always have plenty of food. Clever people aren’t always wealthy. Those who have learned a lot aren’t always successful. God controls the timing of every event. He also controls how things turn out.

How terrible it will be for those who think they are wise! How terrible for those who think they are really clever!

Don’t fool yourselves. Suppose some of you think you are wise by the standards of the world. Then you should become“ fools” so that you can become wise.The wisdom of this world is foolish in God’s eyes. It is written,“ God catches wise people in their own evil plans.”( Job 5:13)It is also written,“ The Lord knows that the thoughts of wise people don’t amount to anything.”( Psalm 94:11)

They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.

Wealth isn’t worth anything when God judges you. But doing what is right saves you from death.

But suppose your hearts are jealous and bitter. Suppose you are concerned only about getting ahead. Then don’t brag about it. And don’t say no to the truth.Wisdom like this doesn’t come down from heaven. It belongs to the earth. It doesn’t come from the Holy Spirit. It comes from the devil.Are you jealous? Are you concerned only about getting ahead? Then your life will be a mess. You will be doing all kinds of evil things.

It is written,“ I will destroy the wisdom of those who are wise. I will do away with the cleverness of those who think they are so smart.”( Isaiah 29:14)Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where are the great thinkers of our time? Hasn’t God made the wisdom of the world foolish?God wisely planned that the world would not know him through its own wisdom. It pleased God to use the foolish things we preach to save those who believe.

“‘ They will throw their silver into the streets. They will treat their gold like an“ unclean” thing. Their silver and gold won’t be able to save them on the day I pour out my anger. It will not be able to satisfy their hunger. Their stomachs can’t be filled with it. Their silver and gold have tripped them up. It has made them fall into sin.

Then Ben- Hadad sent another message to Ahab. Ben- Hadad said,“ There won’t be enough dust left in Samaria to give each of my followers even a handful. If there is, may the gods punish me greatly.”The king of Israel replied. He said,“ Tell him,‘ Someone who puts his armor on shouldn’t brag like someone who takes it off.’ ”

They trust in their wealth. They brag about how rich they are.No one can pay for the life of anyone else. No one can give God what that would cost.The price for a life is very high. No payment is ever enough.No one can pay enough to live forever and not rot in the grave.Everyone can see that even wise people die. People who are foolish and who have no sense also pass away. All of them leave their wealth to others.Their tombs will remain their houses forever. Their graves will be their homes for all time to come. Naming lands after themselves won’t help either.Even though people may be very rich, they don’t live on and on. They are like the animals. They die.That’s what happens to those who trust in themselves. It also happens to their followers, who agree with what they say.

Those who do what is right will see it and learn a lesson from it. They will laugh at you and say,“ Just look at this fellow! He didn’t depend on God for his safety. He put his trust in all his wealth. He grew strong by destroying others!”

You might say to yourself,“ My power and my strong hands have made me rich.”

Don’t trust in money you have taken from others. Don’t put false hope in things you have stolen. Even if your riches grow, don’t put your trust in them.

“ Son of man, speak to Ethbaal. He is the ruler of Tyre. Tell him,‘ The Lord and King says,“‘ “In your proud heart you say,‘ I am a god. I sit on the throne of a god in the Mediterranean Sea.’ But you are only a human being. You are not a god. In spite of that, you think you are as wise as a god.Are you wiser than Daniel? Isn’t even one secret hidden from you?You are wise and understanding. So you have become very wealthy. You have piled up gold and silver among your treasures.You have used your great skill in trading to increase your wealth. You are very rich. So your heart has become proud.” ’ ”The Lord and King says,“ You think you are wise. In fact, you claim to be as wise as a god.So I am going to bring outsiders against you. They will not show you any pity at all. They will use their swords against your beauty and wisdom. They will strike down your shining glory.They will bring you down to the grave. You will die a horrible death in the middle of the sea.Then will you say,‘ I am a god’? Will you say that to those who kill you? You will be only a human being to those who kill you. You will not be a god to them.

Love for money causes all kinds of evil. Some people want to get rich. They have wandered away from the faith. They have wounded themselves with many sorrows.

Then they shouted,“ This is the voice of a god. It’s not the voice of a man.”Right away an angel of the Lord struck Herod down. Herod had not given praise to God. So he was eaten by worms and died.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give praise and honor and glory to the King of heaven. Everything he does is right. All his ways are fair. He is able to bring down those who live proudly.

“ Suppose I’ve put my trust in gold. I’ve said to pure gold,‘ You make me feel secure.’And I’m happy because I’m so wealthy. I’m glad because my hands have earned so much.

He said,“ Isn’t this the great Babylon I have built as a place for my royal palace? I used my mighty power to build it. It shows how glorious my majesty is.”He was still speaking when he heard a voice from heaven. It said,“ King Nebuchadnezzar, here is what has been ordered concerning you. Your royal authority has been taken from you.

Their silver and gold won’t save them on the day the Lord pours out his anger. The whole earth will be burned up when his jealous anger blazes out. Everyone who lives on earth will come to a sudden end.”

The Lord will finish everything he has planned to do against Mount Zion and Jerusalem. Then he’ll say,“ Now I will punish the king of Assyria. I will punish him because his heart and his eyes are so proud.The king of Assyria says,“‘ By my power I have taken over all these nations. I am very wise. I have great understanding. I have wiped out the borders between nations. I’ve taken their treasures. Like a great hero I’ve brought their kings under my control.

‘ Aren’t all my commanders kings?’ he says.

A mighty hero named Goliath came out of the Philistine camp. He was from Gath. He was more than nine feet tall.He had a bronze helmet on his head. He wore bronze armor that weighed 125 pounds.On his legs he wore bronze guards. He carried a bronze javelin on his back.His spear was as big as a weaver’s rod. Its iron point weighed 15 pounds. The man who carried his shield walked along in front of him.Goliath stood there and shouted to the soldiers of Israel. He said,“ Why do you come out and line up for battle? I’m a Philistine. You are servants of Saul. Choose one of your men. Have him come down and face me.If he’s able to fight and kill me, we’ll become your slaves. But if I win and kill him, you will become our slaves and serve us.”Goliath continued,“ This day I dare the soldiers of Israel to send a man down to fight against me.”

“ Your Majesty, the Most High God was good to your father Nebuchadnezzar. He gave him authority and greatness and glory and honor.God gave him a high position. Then people from every nation became afraid of the king. That was true no matter what language they spoke. The king put to death anyone he wanted to. He spared anyone he wanted to spare. He gave high positions to anyone he wanted to. And he brought down anyone he wanted to bring down.But his heart became very stubborn and proud. So he was removed from his royal throne. His glory was stripped away from him.He was driven away from people. He was given the mind of an animal. He lived with the wild donkeys. He ate grass just as an ox does. His body became wet with the dew of heaven. He stayed that way until he recognized that the Most High God rules over all kingdoms on earth. He puts anyone he wants to in charge of them.“ But you knew all that, Belshazzar. After all, you are Nebuchadnezzar’s son. In spite of that, you are still proud.You have taken your stand against the Lord of heaven. You had your servants bring cups from his temple to you. You and your nobles drank wine from them. So did your wives and concubines. You praised your gods. The statues of those gods are made out of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood or stone. They can’t see or hear or understand anything. But you didn’t honor God. He holds in his hand your very life and everything you do.

He stops the evil plans of those who are clever. The work of their hands doesn’t succeed.Some people think they are so wise. But God catches them in their own tricks. He sweeps away the evil plans of sinful people.Darkness covers them in the daytime. At noon they feel their way around as if it were night.

Egypt will become a dry and empty desert. Then your people will know that I am the Lord.“ You said,‘ The Nile River belongs to me. I made it for myself.’

Your fastest runners will not escape. The strongest people will not get away. Even soldiers will not be able to save their own lives.Men who are armed with bows will lose the battle. Soldiers who are quick on their feet will not escape. Horsemen will not be able to save their own lives.Even your bravest soldiers will run away naked on that day,” announces the Lord.

A king isn’t saved just because his army is big. A soldier doesn’t escape just because he is very strong.People can’t trust a horse to save them either. Though it is very strong, it can’t save them.

I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.The eyes of a wise person see things clearly. A person who is foolish lives in darkness. But I finally realized that death catches up with both of them.Then I said to myself,“ What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too. So what do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself,“ That doesn’t have any meaning either.”Like a foolish person, a wise person won’t be remembered very long. The days have already come when both of them have been forgotten. Like a person who is foolish, a wise person must die too!

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again,“ Children, how hard it is to enter God’s kingdom!

“‘ “Come on. Make a deal with my master, the king of Assyria. I’ll give you 2,000 horses. But only if you can put riders on them!You are depending on Egypt for chariots and horsemen. You can’t drive away even the least important officer among my master’s officials.

I’ll say to myself,“ You have plenty of grain stored away for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink and have a good time.” ’“ But God said to him,‘ You foolish man! Tonight I will take your life away from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

Don’t get too upset when other people become rich. Don’t be troubled when they become more and more wealthy.They won’t take anything with them when they die. Their riches won’t go down to the grave with them.While they lived, they believed they were blessed. People praised them when things were going well for them.

Goliath looked David over. He saw how young he was. He also saw how healthy and handsome he was. And he hated him.

You will hear the horns, flutes, zithers, lyres, harps, pipes and other musical instruments. When you do, fall down and worship the statue I made. If you will, that’s very good. But if you won’t, you will be thrown at once into a blazing furnace. Then what god will be able to save you from my power?”

And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Either way, they’ll take over everything on earth I’ve worked so hard for. That doesn’t have any meaning either.