2182 verses about Discernment

The mouth tastes meats taken in hunting: So does an understanding heart false speeches.

A froward heart will cause heaviness: And a man of experience will recompense him.

O wicked imagination, whence came you rolling in To cover the dry land with deceitfulness?

Every counsellor extols counsel; But there is that counsels for himself.

Let your soul beware of a counsellor, And know you before what is his interest (For he will take counsel for himself); Lest he cast the lot upon you,

And say to you, Your way is good: And he will stand near you, to see what will happen to you.

Take not counsel with one that looks askance at you; And hide your counsel from such as are jealous of you.

Take not counsel with a woman about her rival; Neither with a coward about war; Nor with a merchant about exchange; Nor with a buyer about selling; Nor with an envious man about thankfulness; Nor with an unmerciful man about kindliness; Nor with a sluggard about any kind of work; Nor with a hireling in your house about finishing his work; Nor with an idle servant about much business: Give not heed to these in any matter of counsel.

And make the counsel of your heart to stand; For there is none more faithful to you than it.

For a man’s soul is sometime wont to bring him tidings, More than seven watchmen that sit on high on a watch-tower.

Let reason be the beginning of every work, And let counsel go before every action.

There is one that is shrewd and the instructor of many, And yet is unprofitable to his own soul.

For grace was not given him from the Lord; Because he is deprived of all wisdom.

There is one that is wise to his own soul; And the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy in the mouth.

A wise man will instruct his own people; And the fruits of his understanding are trustworthy.

My son, prove your soul in your life, And see what is evil for it, and give not that to it.

For all things are not profitable for all men, Neither has every soul pleasure in every thing.

He will keep the discourse of the men of renown, And will enter in amidst the subtleties of parables.

He will seek out the hidden meaning of proverbs, And be conversant in the dark sayings of parables.

He will serve among great men, And appear before him that rules: He will travel through the land of strange nations; For he has tried good things and evil among men.

He shall direct his counsel and knowledge, And in his secrets shall he meditate.

The works of all flesh are before him; And it is not possible to be hid from his eyes.

His ways are plain to the holy; So are they stumbling blocks to the wicked.

Better is a man that hides his foolishness Than a man that hides his wisdom.

The Lord has not given power to the saints to declare all his marvelous works; Which the Almighty Lord firmly settled, That whatever is might be established in his glory.

He searcheth out the deep, and the heart, And he has understanding of their cunning plans: For the Most High knows all knowledge, And he looks into the signs of the world,

Declaring the things that are past, and the things that shall be, And revealing the traces of hidden things.

No thought escapes him; There is not a word hid from him.

Leaders of the people by their counsels, And by their understanding men of learning for the people; Wise were their words in their instruction:

He showed the things that should be to the end of time, And the hidden things or ever they came.

For they entreated him evil; And yet he was sanctified in the womb to be a prophet, To root out, and to afflict, and to destroy; And in like manner to build and to plant.

God didn’t choose these, nor did he give the way of knowledge to them;

There is none that knows her way, nor any that comprehendeth her path.

Yet they can’t perceive this themselves, and forsake them: for they have no understanding.

And they did as she bade them, and shut the garden doors, and went out themselves at the side doors to fetch the things that she had commanded them: and they saw not the elders, because they were hid.

And we, being in a corner of the garden, saw this wickedness, and ran to them.

Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, O everlasting God, that know the secrets, that know all things before they be:

So he standing in the midst of them said, Are you⌃ such fools, you⌃ sons of Israel, that without examination or knowledge of the truth you⌃ have condemned a daughter of Israel?

Wherefore all the people turned again in haste, and the elders said to him, Come, sit down among us, and show it us, seeing God has given you the honor of an elder.

Then said Daniel to them, Put them asunder one far from another, and I will examine them.

And they arose against the two elders, for Daniel had convicted them of false witness out of their own mouth:

And from that day forth was Daniel had in great reputation in the sight of the people.

Then Daniel laughed, and said, O king, be not deceived: for this is but clay within, and brass without, and did never eat or drink anything.

And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone: then they went out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.

Then laughed Daniel, and held the king that he should not go in, and said, Behold now the pavement, and mark well whose footsteps are these.

And, behold, Simon your brother, I know that he is a man of counsel; give ear to him always: he shall be a father to you.

But when they perceived these things, they were sore afraid; and perceiving also the army of Judas in the plain ready for battle,

and there came into their mind a good counsel, that they should pull it down, lest it should be a reproach to them, because the Gentiles had defiled it: and they pulled down the altar,

And Judas sent men to espy the army; and they brought him word, saying, All the Gentiles that be round about us are gathered together to them, an exceeding great army.

Joseph the son of Zacharias, and Azarias, rulers of the army, heard of their exploits and of the war, what things they had done;

And the thing was known to him, and he said, show me not their faces.

And the thing was known to Judas, to wit, that he came to him with deceit, and he was sore afraid of him, and would see his face no more.

And Nicanor knew that his counsel was discovered; and he went out to meet Judas in battle beside Capharsalama;

and how they had made for themselves a senate house, and day by day three hundred and twenty men sat in council, consulting always for the people, to the end they might be well ordered:

And they went to Rome (and the way was exceeding long), and they entered into the senate house, and answered and said,

And they went and consulted with him.

And he removed, and came with a great army, and sent letters privily to all his confederates that were in Judea, that they should lay hands on Jonathan and those that were with him: and they could not, because their counsel was known to them.

And Jonathan knew that there was an ambushment behind him. And they compassed round his army, and cast their darts at the people, from morning until evening:

But when Jonathan heard this, he commanded to besiege it still: and he chose certain of the elders of Israel and of the priests, and put himself in peril,

And he sent spies into his camp, and they came again, and reported to him that they were appointed in such and such a way to fall upon them in the night season.

But as soon as the sun was down, Jonathan commanded his men to watch, and to be in arms, that all the night long they might be ready for battle: and he put forth sentinels round about the camp.

But Jonathan and his men knew it not till the morning; for they saw the lights burning.

for he had heard that they were minded to deliver the stronghold to the men of Demetrius; and he set a garrison there to keep it.

And Jonathan returned, and called the elders of the people together; and he took counsel with them to build strongholds in Judea,

And Simon knew that they spoke to him deceitfully; and he sends the money and the children, lest perhaps he should procure to himself great hatred of the people,

And when he heard, he was sore amazed; and he laid hands on the men that came to destroy him, and killed them; for he perceived that they were seeking to destroy him.

leaving to the historian the exact handling of every particular, and again having no strength to fill in the outlines of our abridgement.

And when he was come to Jerusalem, and had been courteously received by the high priest of the city, he laid before them an account of the information which had been given him, and declared wherefore he was come; and he inquired if in truth these things were so.

And when Onias had sure knowledge of this, he sharply reproved him, having withdrawn himself into a sanctuary at Daphne, that lies by Antioch.

Wherefore all men implored that the vision might have been given for good.

But Jason slaughtered his own citizens without mercy, not considering that good success against kinsmen is the greatest ill success, but supposing himself to be setting up trophies over enemies, and not over fellow-countrymen.

And when they changed the good will they bare him a little before into ill will, because these words of his were, as they thought, sheer madness,

What things soever therefore had need to be brought before the king I declared to him, and what things were possible he allowed.

Judas stationed armed men ready in convenient places, lest haply there should suddenly be treachery on the part of the enemy; they held such conference as was meet.

And when this message came to Nicanor, he was confounded, and was sore troubled at the thought of annulling the articles that had been agreed upon, the man having done no wrong;

but because there was no dealing against the king, he watched his time to execute this purpose by stratagem.

But Maccabaeus, when he perceived that Nicanor was behaving more harshly in his dealings with him, and that he had become ruler in his customary bearing, understanding that this harshness came not of good, gathered together not a few of his men, and concealed himself from Nicanor.

thereupon he saw a man appear, of venerable age and exceeding glory, and wonderful and most majestic was the dignity around him:

Then said the king to him, Ask what you will more than is appointed in writing, and we will give it you, inasmuch as you are found wisest; and you shall sit next me, and shall be called my cousin.

As many therefore as have a mind thereto, let them depart with you, as it has seemed good both to me and my seven friends the counselors;

But when I had found there none of the priests and Levites,

And Esdras the priest chose to him principal men of their families, all by name: and on the new moon of the tenth month they were shut in together to examine the matter.

We then, having endeavoured to make allowance for the madness of these persons, and on our victorious return treating all people in Egypt courteously, acted in a manner which was befitting.

Having then, received certain proofs that these Jews bear us every sort of ill-will, we must look forward to the possibility of some sudden tumult among ourselves, when these impious men may turn traitors and barbarous enemies.

The king, receiving him, was astonished at his unwonted exit; and, overwhelmed with a spirit of oblivion about everything, enquired the object of this earnest preparation.

And the angel that was sent to me, whose name was Uriel, gave me an answer,

Then said I, Yes my Lord. And he answered me, and said, I am sent to show you three ways, and to set forth three similitudes before you:

how then can your vessel comprehend the way of the Most High? and how can he that is already worn out with the corrupted world understand incorruption?

Then answered he me, and said, You have given a right judgement, and why judge you not in your own case?

And he said to me, Stand up upon the right side, and I shall expound the similitude to you.

Then said I to him, Go your ways from me, and come not near me for seven days, and then shall you come to me. And he heard what I said, and went from me.

and my soul recovered the spirit of understanding, and I began to speak words before the Most High again,

And I said, O Lord that bear rule, who may know these things, but he that has not his dwelling with men?

And he said to me, Not only this, but ask the earth, and she shall tell you; entreat her, and she shall declare to you.

Judge you therefore which things are precious and to be desired, whatso is abundant or what is rare.

which I have not showed to all men, but to you, and a few like you. Then answered I and said,

And he answered me, and said, Measure you diligently within yourself: and when you see that a certain part of the signs are past, which have been told you beforehand,

For I have seen that I knew not, and hear that I do not know.

Or is my sense deceived, or my soul in a dream?

This therefore is the meaning of the vision.