'Godly' in the Bible

“He guards the feet of His godly (faithful) ones,But the wicked ones are silenced and perish in darkness;For a man shall not prevail by might.

But know that the Lord has set apart for Himself [and dealt wonderfully with] the godly man [the one of honorable character and moral courage—the one who does right].The Lord hears and responds when I call to Him.

Save and help and rescue, Lord, for godly people cease to be,For the faithful vanish from among the sons of men.

As for the saints (godly people) who are in the land,They are the majestic and the noble and the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You [for forgiveness] in a time when You [are near and] may be found;Surely when the great waters [of trial and distressing times] overflow they will not reach [the spirit in] him.

O [reverently] fear the Lord, you His saints (believers, holy ones);For to those who fear Him there is no want.

Why do you boast of evil, O mighty man?The lovingkindness of God endures all day long.

By awesome and wondrous things You answer us in righteousness, O God of our salvation,You who are the trust and hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest sea;

Protect my life (soul), for I am godly and faithful;O You my God, save Your servant, who trusts in You [believing in You and relying on You, confidently committing everything to You].

He has sent redemption to His people;He has ordained His covenant forever;Holy and awesome is His name—[inspiring reverence and godly fear].

He has lifted up a horn for His people [giving them strength, prosperity, dignity, and preeminence],Praise for all His godly ones;For the people of Israel, a people near to Him.Praise the Lord! (Hallelujah!)

To know [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction;To discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight,

The [reverent] fear of the Lord [that is, worshiping Him and regarding Him as truly awesome] is the beginning and the preeminent part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence];But arrogant fools despise [skillful and godly] wisdom and instruction and self-discipline.

So that your ear is attentive to [skillful and godly] wisdom,And apply your heart to understanding [seeking it conscientiously and striving for it eagerly];

If you seek skillful and godly wisdom as you would silverAnd search for her as you would hidden treasures;

For the Lord gives [skillful and godly] wisdom;From His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

He stores away sound wisdom for the righteous [those who are in right standing with Him];He is a shield to those who walk in integrity [those of honorable character and moral courage],

For [skillful and godly] wisdom will enter your heartAnd knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

Happy [blessed, considered fortunate, to be admired] is the man who finds [skillful and godly] wisdom,And the man who gains understanding and insight [learning from God’s word and life’s experiences],

She is more precious than rubies;And nothing you can wish for compares with her [in value].

The Lord by His wisdom has founded the earth;By His understanding He has established the heavens.

My son, let them not escape from your sight,But keep sound wisdom and discretion,

“Get [skillful and godly] wisdom! Acquire understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation]!Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

“The beginning of wisdom is: Get [skillful and godly] wisdom [it is preeminent]!And with all your acquiring, get understanding [actively seek spiritual discernment, mature comprehension, and logical interpretation].

I have instructed you in the way of [skillful and godly] wisdom;I have led you in upright paths.

My son, be attentive to my wisdom [godly wisdom learned by costly experience],Incline your ear to my understanding;

For the ways of man are directly before the eyes of the Lord,And He carefully watches all of his paths [all of his comings and goings].

Say to [skillful and godly] wisdom, “You are my sister,”And regard understanding and intelligent insight as your intimate friends;

Does not wisdom call,And understanding lift up her voice?

On the top of the heights beside the way,Where the paths meet, wisdom takes her stand;

“For wisdom is better than rubies;And all desirable things cannot compare with her.

On the lips of the discerning, [skillful and godly] wisdom is found,But discipline and the rod are for the back of the one who is without common sense and understanding.

Engaging in evil is like sport to the fool [who refuses wisdom and chases sin],But to a man of understanding [skillful and godly] wisdom brings joy.

The mouth of the righteous flows with [skillful and godly] wisdom,But the perverted tongue will be cut out.

When pride comes [boiling up with an arrogant attitude of self-importance], then come dishonor and shame,But with the humble [the teachable who have been chiseled by trial and who have learned to walk humbly with God] there is wisdom and soundness of mind.

A man will be commended according to his insight and sound judgment,But the one who is of a perverse mind will be despised.

Through pride and presumption come nothing but strife,But [skillful and godly] wisdom is with those who welcome [well-advised] counsel.

The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way,But the foolishness of [shortsighted] fools is deceit.

How much better it is to get wisdom than gold!And to get understanding is to be chosen above silver.

Why is there money in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom,When he has no common sense or even a heart for it?

[Skillful and godly] wisdom is in the presence of a person of understanding [and he recognizes it],But the eyes of a [thickheaded] fool are on the ends of the earth.

The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters [copious and difficult to fathom];The fountain of [mature, godly] wisdom is like a bubbling stream [sparkling, fresh, pure, and life-giving].

When the scoffer is punished, the naive [observes the lesson and] becomes wise;But when the wise and teachable person is instructed, he receives knowledge.

Do not speak in the ears of a fool,For he will despise the [godly] wisdom of your words.

Through [skillful and godly] wisdom a house [a life, a home, a family] is built,And by understanding it is established [on a sound and good foundation],

Know that [skillful and godly] wisdom is [so very good] for your life and soul;If you find wisdom, then there will be a future and a reward,And your hope and expectation will not be cut off.

He who trusts confidently in his own heart is a [dull, thickheaded] fool,But he who walks in [skillful and godly] wisdom will be rescued.

A man who loves [skillful and godly] wisdom makes his father joyful,But he who associates with prostitutes wastes his wealth.

I have not learned [skillful and godly] wisdom,Nor do I have knowledge of the Holy One [who is the source of wisdom].

She opens her mouth in [skillful and godly] wisdom,And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue [giving counsel and instruction].

The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart;Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understandsThat the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil.

“Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;You will cry for help, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’If you take away from your midst the yoke [of oppression],The finger pointed in scorn [toward the oppressed or the godly], and [every form of] wicked (sinful, unjust) speech,

The godly person [who is faithful and loyal to God] has perished from the earth,And there is no upright person [one with good character and moral integrity] among men.They all lie in wait to shed blood;Each hunts the other with a net.

But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth.

“And His mercy is upon generation after generationToward those who [stand in great awe of God and] fear Him.

This is our [reason for] proud confidence: our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world [in general], and especially toward you, with pure motives and godly sincerity, not in human wisdom, but in the grace of God [that is, His gracious lovingkindness that leads people to Christ and spiritual maturity].

For [godly] sorrow that is in accord with the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but worldly sorrow [the hopeless sorrow of those who do not believe] produces death.

For [you can look back and] see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves [against charges that you tolerate sin], what indignation [at sin], what fear [of offending God], what longing [for righteousness and justice], what passion [to do what is right], what readiness to punish [those who sin and those who tolerate sin]! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy because I have promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Indeed, all who delight in pursuing righteousness and are determined to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be hunted and persecuted [because of their faith].

In the days of His earthly life, Jesus offered up both [specific] petitions and [urgent] supplications [for that which He needed] with fervent crying and tears to the One who was [always] able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverent submission toward God [His sinlessness and His unfailing determination to do the Father’s will].

Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe;

In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands [subordinate, not as inferior, but out of respect for the responsibilities entrusted to husbands and their accountability to God, and so partnering with them] so that even if some do not obey the word [of God], they may be won over [to Christ] without discussion by the godly lives of their wives,

then [in light of the fact that all this is true, be sure that] the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trial, and how to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be [in the meantime] in holy behavior [that is, in a pattern of daily life that sets you apart as a believer] and in godliness [displaying profound reverence toward our awesome God],

She has been permitted to dress in fine linen, dazzling white and clean—for the fine linen signifies the righteous acts of the saints [the ethical conduct, personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character of believers].