Contemporary English Version Dreams 1 Empty hopes deceive ignorant people, and dreams lead fools to be even more foolish. 2Believing in dreams is like holding on to shadows or chasing the wind. 3Just as a mirror reflects your face, your dreams reflect your concerns. 4Something clean cannot come from something dirty, and truth cannot come from a lie. 5Dreams are meaningless, like something said by a fortuneteller, because they can mean anything you want them to. 6So unless a dream has been sent by God Most High, ignore it. 7Dreams have fooled many-- first giving them hope, then disappointing them. 8You can obey God's Law and learn from wise people, without paying attention to deceitful dreams. Learning by Traveling 9A person who has traveled has learned many things, and knows about them from experience. 10If you have few experiences, you won't learn much, 11but the more you travel, the smarter you will become. 12I saw many things when I traveled, and I learned more than I can tell you. 13My life was often in danger, but what I had learned always helped me escape. Fear the Lord * 14If you fear the Lord and put your trust in him, 15he will keep you safe, 16and so you can be brave and face any danger. 17The Lord will bless you if you fear him 18and ask for his help. 19And if you love the Lord, he will give you strength and keep you from falling. He will be your shield, protecting you and giving shade from the burning heat of the summer sun at noon. 20Your eyes will sparkle with the happiness he gives, and he will bless you with health and a long life. Sacrifices 21A stolen animal isn't fit as a sacrifice for the Lord, 22and he won't accept gifts from those who reject his Law. 23Sinners cannot please God Most High, and he will not forgive them, even if they offer sacrifice after sacrifice. 24Stealing food from the poor to offer as a sacrifice is like murdering children while their parents watch. 25The poor have so little food, that taking it is the same as committing murder. 26Stealing what someone needs to earn a living is the same as murder, 27and refusing to pay the wages of someone who works for you is just as evil. 28So, if you steal possessions that others worked for, you will cause trouble for yourself and for them. 29When they are asking God to put a curse on you, will he listen to your prayer? 30 If you are unclean from touching a dead body, what's the point of washing if you touch the body again? 31Suppose you go without eating to show sorrow for your sins and then commit the same sins again. Will God forgive you? No, it was all for nothing. Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®) © 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. Bible text from the Contemporary English Version 2nd Edition (CEV®) is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by American Bible Society, 101 North Independence Mall East, Floor 8, Philadelphia, PA 19106-2155 (www.americanbible.org). Learn more at www.cev.bible. Discover .BIBLE resources for your ministry at www.get.bible/cev. |