The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out.

纷争的起头如水放开，所以，在争闹之先必当止息争竞。

纷争掀起，如同缺口的水；因此，争端尚未爆发就当制止。

纷争掀起，如同缺口的水；因此，争端尚未爆发就当制止。

争端爆发如洪水决堤，当在爆发前将其制止。

纷争的开始，如同决堤的水；所以在争执发生以前，就要制止。

纷争的开始，就如放开的水；卷入争执之前，当放弃争辩。

紛爭的起頭如水放開，所以，在爭鬧之先必當止息爭競。

紛爭掀起，如同缺口的水；因此，爭端尚未爆發就當制止。

紛爭掀起，如同缺口的水；因此，爭端尚未爆發就當制止。

爭端爆發如洪水決堤，當在爆發前將其制止。

紛爭的開始，如同決堤的水；所以在爭執發生以前，就要制止。

紛爭之起點如放水；故爭吵尚未暴發，先要放棄。

紛爭的開始，就如放開的水；捲入爭執之前，當放棄爭辯。

釁端之起、如水潰決、宜先弭之、以免爭鬥、

釁隙之開、若江河之潰、故爭競將起、必弭之。

爭端之起、如水之破隙、故爭競未發之先、當止之、

Starting a quarrel is like breaching a dam; so drop the matter before a dispute breaks out.

Starting to argue is like making a crack in a dam. So drop the matter before a fight breaks out.

Starting a quarrel is like opening a floodgate, so stop before a dispute breaks out.

To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.

The beginning of strife is like letting out water, So abandon the quarrel before it breaks out.

The beginning of strife is like releasing water; Therefore stop contention before a quarrel starts.

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water: Therefore leave off contention, before there is quarrelling.

To start a conflict is to release a flood; stop the dispute before it breaks out.

The beginning of strife[ is as] when one letteth out water: therefore leave off contention, before it be meddled with.

Starting a quarrel is like letting out water; stop it before strife breaks out!

The beginning of strife is like breaching a dam, therefore stop contention before quarreling breaks out.

do not hastily bring into court, for what will you do in the end, when your neighbor puts you to shame?

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you,

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Better is the end of a thing than its beginning, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.

A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent to Joash the son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying,“ Come, let us look one another in the face.”And Joash the king of Israel sent word to Amaziah king of Judah,“ A thistle on Lebanon sent to a cedar on Lebanon, saying,‘ Give your daughter to my son for a wife,’ and a wild beast of Lebanon passed by and trampled down the thistle.You say,‘ See, I have struck down Edom,’ and your heart has lifted you up in boastfulness. But now stay at home. Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall, you and Judah with you?”But Amaziah would not listen, for it was of God, in order that he might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they had sought the gods of Edom.So Joash king of Israel went up, and he and Amaziah king of Judah faced one another in battle at Beth-shemesh, which belongs to Judah.And Judah was defeated by Israel, and every man fled to his home.And Joash king of Israel captured Amaziah king of Judah, the son of Joash, son of Ahaziah, at Beth-shemesh, and brought him to Jerusalem and broke down the wall of Jerusalem for 400 cubits, from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.And he seized all the gold and silver, and all the vessels that were found in the house of God, in the care of Obed-edom. He seized also the treasuries of the king’s house, also hostages, and he returned to Samaria.

Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression.

As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah,“ Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.”And Jephthah said to them,“ I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand.And when I saw that you would not save me, I took my life in my hand and crossed over against the Ammonites, and the Lord gave them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me this day to fight against me?”Then Jephthah gathered all the men of Gilead and fought with Ephraim. And the men of Gilead struck Ephraim, because they said,“ You are fugitives of Ephraim, you Gileadites, in the midst of Ephraim and Manasseh.”And the Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan against the Ephraimites. And when any of the fugitives of Ephraim said,“ Let me go over,” the men of Gilead said to him,“ Are you an Ephraimite?” When he said,“ No,”they said to him,“ Then say Shibboleth,” and he said,“ Sibboleth,” for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and slaughtered him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time 42,000 of the Ephraimites fell.

Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels.And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil,

Whoever loves transgression loves strife; he who makes his door high seeks destruction.

King Rehoboam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.”So the king did not listen to the people, for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfill his word, which he spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.And when all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king,“ What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Each of you to your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, David.” So all Israel went to their tents.

Then the men of Ephraim said to him,“ What is this that you have done to us, not to call us when you went to fight against Midian?” And they accused him fiercely.And he said to them,“ What have I done now in comparison with you? Is not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?God has given into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb. What have I been able to do in comparison with you?” Then their anger against him subsided when he said this.

But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.

By insolence comes nothing but strife, but with those who take advice is wisdom.

Then all the men of Israel came to the king and said to the king,“ Why have our brothers the men of Judah stolen you away and brought the king and his household over the Jordan, and all David’s men with him?”All the men of Judah answered the men of Israel,“ Because the king is our close relative. Why then are you angry over this matter? Have we eaten at all at the king’s expense? Or has he given us any gift?”And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah,“ We have ten shares in the king, and in David also we have more than you. Why then did you despise us? Were we not the first to speak of bringing back our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said,“ We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!”So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem.And David came to his house at Jerusalem. And the king took the ten concubines whom he had left to care for the house and put them in a house under guard and provided for them, but did not go in to them. So they were shut up until the day of their death, living as if in widowhood.Then the king said to Amasa,“ Call the men of Judah together to me within three days, and be here yourself.”So Amasa went to summon Judah, but he delayed beyond the set time that had been appointed him.And David said to Abishai,“ Now Sheba the son of Bichri will do us more harm than Absalom. Take your lord’s servants and pursue him, lest he get himself to fortified cities and escape from us.”And there went out after him Joab’s men and the Cherethites and the Pelethites, and all the mighty men. They went out from Jerusalem to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.When they were at the great stone that is in Gibeon, Amasa came to meet them. Now Joab was wearing a soldier’s garment, and over it was a belt with a sword in its sheath fastened on his thigh, and as he went forward it fell out.And Joab said to Amasa,“ Is it well with you, my brother?” And Joab took Amasa by the beard with his right hand to kiss him.But Amasa did not observe the sword that was in Joab’s hand. So Joab struck him with it in the stomach and spilled his entrails to the ground without striking a second blow, and he died. Then Joab and Abishai his brother pursued Sheba the son of Bichri.And one of Joab’s young men took his stand by Amasa and said,“ Whoever favors Joab, and whoever is for David, let him follow Joab.”And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him.When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri.And Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah, and all the Bichrites assembled and followed him in.And all the men who were with Joab came and besieged him in Abel of Beth-maacah. They cast up a mound against the city, and it stood against the rampart, and they were battering the wall to throw it down.Then a wise woman called from the city,“ Listen! Listen! Tell Joab,‘ Come here, that I may speak to you.’”And he came near her, and the woman said,“ Are you Joab?” He answered,“ I am.” Then she said to him,“ Listen to the words of your servant.” And he answered,“ I am listening.”Then she said,“ They used to say in former times,‘ Let them but ask counsel at Abel,’ and so they settled a matter.I am one of those who are peaceable and faithful in Israel. You seek to destroy a city that is a mother in Israel. Why will you swallow up the heritage of the Lord?”Joab answered,“ Far be it from me, far be it, that I should swallow up or destroy!That is not true. But a man of the hill country of Ephraim, called Sheba the son of Bichri, has lifted up his hand against King David. Give up him alone, and I will withdraw from the city.” And the woman said to Joab,“ Behold, his head shall be thrown to you over the wall.”Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom. And they cut off the head of Sheba the son of Bichri and threw it out to Joab. So he blew the trumpet, and they dispersed from the city, every man to his home. And Joab returned to Jerusalem to the king.

Then Abram said to Lot,“ Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left.”

Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.

For Pekah the son of Remaliah killed 120,000 from Judah in one day, all of them men of valor, because they had forsaken the Lord, the God of their fathers.

And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said,“ It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,“ Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.After they finished speaking, James replied,“ Brothers, listen to me.Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,“‘ After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these thingsknown from of old.’Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said,“ It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

Abijah and his people struck them with great force, so there fell slain of Israel 500,000 chosen men.

Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.

And Abner said to Joab,“ Let the young men arise and compete before us.” And Joab said,“ Let them arise.”Then they arose and passed over by number, twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David.And each caught his opponent by the head and thrust his sword in his opponent’s side, so they fell down together. Therefore that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is at Gibeon.And the battle was very fierce that day. And Abner and the men of Israel were beaten before the servants of David.