2-3 “Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of!
    Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God!
Don’t dilute your strength on fortune-hunting women,
    promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders.

4-7 “Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves,
    gulping wine and swilling beer,
Lest, hung over, they don’t know right from wrong,
    and the people who depend on them are hurt.
Use wine and beer only as sedatives,
    to kill the pain and dull the ache
Of the terminally ill,
    for whom life is a living death.

Read full chapter

Bible Gateway Recommends

The Message Gospel of John - eBook
The Message Gospel of John - eBook
Retail: $4.99
Our Price: $3.99
Save: $1.00 (20%)
The Message // REMIX 2.0, Soft Imitation Leather, Storm Black
The Message // REMIX 2.0, Soft Imitation Leather, Storm Black
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $17.99
Save: $22.00 (55%)
5.0 of 5.0 stars
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language - eBook
The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language - eBook
Retail: $29.99
Our Price: $16.49
Save: $13.50 (45%)
The Message Devotional Bible LeatherLike, Brown
The Message Devotional Bible LeatherLike, Brown
Retail: $39.99
Our Price: $32.99
Save: $7.00 (18%)
4.5 of 5.0 stars