² All a man's ways are clean to himself; but the Lord puts men's spirits into his scales.

² Every way of a man seems right to himself, but the Lord is the tester of hearts.

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not take note of his face or how tall he is, because I will not have him: for the Lord's view is not man's; man takes note of the outer form, but the Lord sees the heart.

¹² There is a generation who seem to themselves to be free from sin, but are not washed from their unclean ways.

¹⁵ And he said, You take care to seem right in the eyes of men, but God sees your hearts: and those things which are important in the opinion of men, are evil in the eyes of God.

¹² If you say, See, we had no knowledge of this: does not the tester of hearts give thought to it? and he who keeps your soul, has he no knowledge of it? and will he not give to every man the reward of his work?

¹⁰ I the Lord am the searcher of the heart, the tester of the thoughts, so that I may give to every man the reward of his ways, in keeping with the fruit of his doings.

⁹ And he made this story for some people who were certain that they were good, and had a low opinion of others:

¹⁰ Two men went up to the Temple for prayer; one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-farmer.

¹¹ The Pharisee, taking up his position, said to himself these words: God, I give you praise because I am not like other men, who take more than their right, who are evil-doers, who are untrue to their wives, or even like this tax-farmer.

²² For even if you are washed with soda and take much soap, still your evil-doing is marked before me, says the Lord God.

²³ How are you able to say, I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals? see your way in the valley, be clear about what you have done: you are a quick-footed camel twisting her way in and out;

²⁵ There is a way which seems straight before a man, but its end is the ways of death.

²¹ For a man's ways are before the eyes of the Lord, and he puts all his goings in the scales.

²³ And I will put her children to death; and all the churches will see that I am he who makes search into the secret thoughts and hearts of men: and I will give to every one of you the reward of your works.

²⁷ Tekel; you have been put in the scales and seen to be under weight.

⁷ The way of the good man is straight; the road of the upright is made smooth by you.

² For he takes comfort in the thought that his sin will not be uncovered and hated.

⁷ What then is to be said? is the law sin? in no way. But I would not have had knowledge of sin but for the law: for I would not have been conscious of desire if the law had not said, You may not have a desire for what is another's.

⁸ But sin, taking its chance through that which was ordered by the law, was working in me every form of desire: because without the law sin is dead.

⁹ And there was a time when I was living without the law: but when the law gave its orders, sin came to life and put me to death;

¹⁸ And to the angel of the church in Thyatira say: These things says the Son of God, whose eyes are like a flame of fire, and his feet like polished brass:

¹³ And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, May the blessing of the Lord be with you: I have done what was ordered by the Lord.

¹⁴ And Samuel said, What then is this sound of the crying of sheep and the noise of oxen which comes to my ears?