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

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

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

Don’t take a matter to court hastily. Otherwise, what will you do afterward if your opponent humiliates you?

Honor belongs to the person who ends a dispute, but any fool can get himself into a quarrel.

to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you,

But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your heart, don’t boast and deny the truth.Such wisdom does not come down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.For where there is envy and selfish ambition, there is disorder and every evil practice.But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without pretense.And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who cultivate peace.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning; a patient spirit is better than a proud spirit.Don’t let your spirit rush to be angry, for anger abides in the heart of fools.

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

King Amaziah of Judah took counsel and sent word to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, son of Jehu, king of Israel, and challenged him:“ Come, let’s meet face to face.”King Jehoash of Israel sent word to King Amaziah of Judah, saying,“ The thistle in Lebanon sent a message to the cedar in Lebanon, saying,‘ Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal in Lebanon passed by and trampled the thistle.You have said,‘ Look, I have defeated Edom,’ and you have become overconfident that you will get glory. Now stay at home. Why stir up such trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?”But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom.So King Jehoash of Israel advanced. He and King Amaziah of Judah met face to face at Beth-shemesh that belonged to Judah.Judah was routed before Israel, and each man fled to his own tent.King Jehoash of Israel captured Judah’s King Amaziah son of Joash, son of Jehoahaz, at Beth-shemesh. Then Jehoash took him to Jerusalem and broke down two hundred yards of Jerusalem’s wall from the Ephraim Gate to the Corner Gate.He took all the gold, silver, all the utensils that were found with Obed-edom in God’s temple, the treasures of the king’s palace, and the hostages. Then he returned to Samaria.

A patient person shows great understanding, but a quick-tempered one promotes foolishness.

If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered one increases rebellion.

As charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

The men of Ephraim were called together and crossed the Jordan to Zaphon. They said to Jephthah,“ Why have you crossed over to fight against the Ammonites but didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house with you in it!”Then Jephthah said to them,“ My people and I had a bitter conflict with the Ammonites. So I called for you, but you didn’t deliver me from their power.When I saw that you weren’t going to deliver me, I took my life in my own hands and crossed over to the Ammonites, and the LORD handed them over to me. Why then have you come today to fight against me?”Then Jephthah gathered all of the men of Gilead. They fought and defeated Ephraim, because Ephraim had said,“ You Gileadites are Ephraimite fugitives in the territories of Ephraim and Manasseh.”The Gileadites captured the fords of the Jordan leading to Ephraim. Whenever a fugitive from Ephraim said,“ Let me cross over,” the Gileadites asked him,“ Are you an Ephraimite?” If he answered,“ No,”they told him,“ Please say Shibboleth.” If he said,“ Sibboleth,” because he could not pronounce it correctly, they seized him and executed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time forty-two thousand from Ephraim died.

But reject foolish and ignorant disputes, because you know that they breed quarrels.The Lord’s servant must not quarrel, but must be gentle to everyone, able to teach, and patient,

One who loves to offend loves strife; one who builds a high threshold invites injury.

and spoke to them according to the young men’s advice, saying,“ My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father disciplined you with whips, but I, with barbed whips.”The king did not listen to the people because the turn of events came from God, in order that the LORD might carry out his word that he had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.When all Israel saw that the king had not listened to them, the people answered the king: What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. Israel, each to your tent; David, look after your own house now! So all Israel went to their tents.

The men of Ephraim said to him,“ Why have you done this to us, not calling us when you went to fight against the Midianites?” And they argued with him violently.So he said to them,“ What have I done now compared to you? Is not the gleaning of Ephraim better than the grape harvest of Abiezer?God handed over to you Oreb and Zeeb, the two princes of Midian. What was I able to do compared to you?” When he said this, their anger against him subsided.

But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well.And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

Arrogance leads to nothing but strife, but wisdom is gained by those who take advice.

Suddenly, all the men of Israel came to the king. They asked him,“ Why did our brothers, the men of Judah, take you away secretly and transport the king and his household across the Jordan, along with all of David’s men?”All the men of Judah responded to the men of Israel,“ Because the king is our relative. Why does this make you angry? Have we ever eaten anything of the king’s or been honored at all?”The men of Israel answered the men of Judah,“ We have ten shares in the king, so we have a greater claim to David than you. Why then do you despise us? Weren’t we the first to speak of restoring our king?” But the words of the men of Judah were harsher than those of the men of Israel.Now a wicked man, a Benjaminite named Sheba son of Bichri, happened to be there. He blew the ram’s horn and shouted: We have no portion in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Each man to his tent, Israel!So all the men of Israel deserted David and followed Sheba son of Bichri, but the men of Judah from the Jordan all the way to Jerusalem remained loyal to their king.When David came to his palace in Jerusalem, he took the ten concubines he had left to take care of the palace and placed them under guard. He provided for them, but he was not intimate with them. They were confined until the day of their death, living as widows.The king said to Amasa,“ Summon the men of Judah to me within three days and be here yourself.”Amasa went to summon Judah, but he took longer than the time allotted him.So David said to Abishai,“ Sheba son of Bichri will do more harm to us than Absalom. Take your lord’s soldiers and pursue him, or he will find fortified cities and elude us.”So Joab’s men, the Cherethites, the Pelethites, and all the warriors marched out under Abishai’s command; they left Jerusalem to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.They were at the great stone in Gibeon when Amasa joined them. Joab was wearing his uniform and over it was a belt around his waist with a sword in its sheath. As he approached, the sword fell out.Joab asked Amasa,“ Are you well, my brother?” Then with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.Amasa was not on guard against the sword in Joab’s hand, and Joab stabbed him in the stomach with it and spilled his intestines out on the ground. Joab did not stab him again, and Amasa died. Joab and his brother Abishai pursued Sheba son of Bichri.One of Joab’s young men had stood over Amasa saying,“ Whoever favors Joab and whoever is for David, follow Joab!”Now Amasa had been writhing in his blood in the middle of the highway, and the man had seen that all the troops stopped. So he moved Amasa from the highway to the field and threw a garment over him because he realized that all those who encountered Amasa were stopping.When he was removed from the highway, all the men passed by and followed Joab to pursue Sheba son of Bichri.Sheba passed through all the tribes of Israel to Abel of Beth-maacah. All the Berites came together and followed him.Joab’s troops came and besieged Sheba in Abel of Beth-maacah. They built a siege ramp against the outer wall of the city. While all the troops with Joab were battering the wall to make it collapse,a wise woman called out from the city,“ Listen! Listen! Please tell Joab to come here and let me speak with him.”When he had come near her, the woman asked,“ Are you Joab?”“ I am,” he replied.“ Listen to the words of your servant,” she said to him. He answered,“ I’m listening.”She said,“ In the past they used to say,‘ Seek counsel in Abel,’ and that’s how they settled disputes.I am one of the peaceful and faithful in Israel, but you’re trying to destroy a city that is like a mother in Israel. Why would you devour the LORD’s inheritance?”Joab protested:“ Never! I would never devour or demolish!That is not the case. There is a man named Sheba son of Bichri, from the hill country of Ephraim, who has rebelled against King David. Deliver this one man, and I will withdraw from the city.” The woman replied to Joab,“ Watch! His head will be thrown over the wall to you.”The woman went to all the people with her wise counsel, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bichri and threw it to Joab. So he blew the ram’s horn, and they dispersed from the city, each to his own tent. Joab returned to the king in Jerusalem.

So Abram said to Lot,“ Please, let’s not have quarreling between you and me, or between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, since we are relatives.Isn’t the whole land before you? Separate from me: if you go to the left, I will go to the right; if you go to the right, I will go to the left.”

A person’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.

Pekah son of Remaliah killed one hundred twenty thousand in Judah in one day— all brave men— because they had abandoned the LORD God of their ancestors.

After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said,“ It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter.After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them,“ Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.After they stopped speaking, James responded,“ Brothers, listen to me.Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again,so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord— even all the Gentiles who are called by my name— declares the Lord who makes these thingsknown from long ago.Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God,but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”

In those days, as the disciples were increasing in number, there arose a complaint by the Hellenistic Jews against the Hebraic Jews that their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution.The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said,“ It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables.Brothers and sisters, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and wisdom, whom we can appoint to this duty.But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”This proposal pleased the whole company. So they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a convert from Antioch.

Then Abijah and his people struck them with a mighty blow, and five hundred thousand fit young men of Israel were killed.

Patience is better than power, and controlling one’s emotions, than capturing a city.

Then Abner said to Joab,“ Let’s have the young men get up and compete in front of us.”“ Let them get up,” Joab replied.So they got up and were counted off— twelve for Benjamin and Ish-bosheth son of Saul, and twelve from David’s soldiers.Then each man grabbed his opponent by the head and thrust his sword into his opponent’s side so that they all died together. So this place, which is in Gibeon, is named Field of Blades.The battle that day was extremely fierce, and Abner and the men of Israel were defeated by David’s soldiers.