Daily reading
Proverbs · III · 27–35
Proverbs 3:27–35 · NLT
XIII · X · MMXXVI
Key verses · Proverbs 3:27–35 · NLT
27o not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them. (NLT)
28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” (NLT)
34The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble. (NLT)
Proverbs 3:27–35 · New Living Translation
27o not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.
28If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.”
29Don’t plot harm against your neighbor, for those who live nearby trust you.
30Don’t pick a fight without reason, when no one has done you harm.
31Don’t envy violent people or copy their ways.
32Such wicked people are detestable to the Lord, but he offers his friendship to the godly.
33The Lord curses the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the upright.
34The Lord mocks the mockers but is gracious to the humble.
35The wise inherit honor, but fools are put to shame! (NLT)
A note on Scripture quoting
We’ve hit this translation’s public quoting limit for now, so this is a good time to pick up your own Bible and read the rest of the passage.
In short
After all the talk of wisdom’s rewards, chapter 3 lands somewhere very ordinary: your neighbor. If you can do good for someone today, do it today. Don’t stall with “come back tomorrow,” don’t scheme against people who trust you, and don’t start fights nobody asked for.
It also warns against envying people who get ahead by force. That path looks strong, but God sets himself against it. Instead he offers his friendship to the godly and his grace to the humble. Wisdom isn’t only what you know; it’s how you treat the people closest to you.
If you can help your neighbor now, don’t say, “Come back tomorrow, and then I’ll help you.” (NLT)
Proverbs 3:28
Try today
Think of one small good you’ve been putting off for someone: a reply, a favor, a thank you, a check-in. Do it today instead of tomorrow, while it’s in your power to help.