Proverbs 7-9
English Standard Version
Warning Against the Adulteress
7 (A)My son, keep my words
and (B)treasure up my commandments with you;
2 (C)keep my commandments and live;
keep my teaching as (D)the apple of your eye;
3 (E)bind them on your fingers;
(F)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
and call insight your intimate friend,
5 to keep you from (G)the forbidden[a] woman,
from (H)the adulteress[b] with her smooth words.
6 For at (I)the window of my house
I have looked out through my lattice,
7 and I have seen among (J)the simple,
I have perceived among the youths,
a young man (K)lacking sense,
8 passing along the street (L)near her corner,
taking the road to her house
9 in (M)the twilight, in the evening,
at (N)the time of night and darkness.
10 And behold, the woman meets him,
(O)dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.[c]
11 She is (P)loud and (Q)wayward;
(R)her feet do not stay at home;
12 now in the street, now in the market,
and (S)at every corner she (T)lies in wait.
13 She seizes him and kisses him,
and with (U)bold face she says to him,
14 “I had to (V)offer sacrifices,[d]
and today I have (W)paid my vows;
15 so now I have come out to meet you,
to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
16 I have spread my couch with (X)coverings,
colored linens from (Y)Egyptian linen;
17 I have perfumed my bed with (Z)myrrh,
aloes, and (AA)cinnamon.
18 Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
let us delight ourselves with love.
19 For (AB)my husband is not at home;
he has gone on a long journey;
20 he took a bag of money with him;
at full moon he will come home.”
21 With much seductive speech she persuades him;
with (AC)her smooth talk she compels him.
22 All at once he follows her,
as an ox goes to the slaughter,
or as a stag is caught fast[e]
23 till an arrow pierces its liver;
as (AD)a bird rushes into a snare;
he does not know that it will cost him his life.
24 And (AE)now, O sons, listen to me,
and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
25 Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
do not stray into her paths,
26 for many a victim has she laid low,
and all her slain are (AF)a mighty throng.
27 Her house is (AG)the way to Sheol,
going down to the chambers of death.
The Blessings of Wisdom
8 Does not (AH)wisdom call?
Does not (AI)understanding raise her voice?
2 On (AJ)the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside (AK)the gates in front of (AL)the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O (AM)men, I call,
and my cry is to (AN)the children of man.
5 O (AO)simple ones, learn (AP)prudence;
O (AQ)fools, learn sense.
6 Hear, for I will speak (AR)noble things,
and from my lips will come (AS)what is right,
7 for my (AT)mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing (AU)twisted or crooked in them.
9 They are all (AV)straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10 (AW)Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 (AX)for wisdom is better than jewels,
and (AY)all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and (AZ)discretion.
13 (BA)The fear of the Lord is (BB)hatred of evil.
(BC)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and (BD)perverted speech I hate.
14 I have (BE)counsel and (BF)sound wisdom;
I have insight; (BG)I have strength.
15 By me (BH)kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.[f]
17 (BI)I love those who love me,
and (BJ)those who seek me diligently find me.
18 (BK)Riches and honor are with me,
(BL)enduring wealth and (BM)righteousness.
19 My fruit is (BN)better than (BO)gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than (BP)choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.
22 (BQ)“The Lord (BR)possessed[g] me at the beginning of his work,[h]
the first of his acts (BS)of old.
23 Ages ago I was (BT)set up,
at the first, (BU)before the beginning of the earth.
24 When there were no (BV)depths I was (BW)brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
25 Before the mountains (BX)had been shaped,
(BY)before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 before he had made the earth with its fields,
or the first of the dust of the world.
27 When he (BZ)established the heavens, I was there;
when he drew (CA)a circle on the face of the deep,
28 when he (CB)made firm the skies above,
when he established[i] the fountains of the deep,
29 when he (CC)assigned to the sea its (CD)limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out (CE)the foundations of the earth,
30 then (CF)I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his[j] (CG)delight,
rejoicing before him always,
31 (CH)rejoicing in his (CI)inhabited world
and delighting in the children of man.
32 “And now, (CJ)O sons, listen to me:
(CK)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (CL)Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
34 (CM)Blessed is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
35 For (CN)whoever finds me (CO)finds life
and (CP)obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but he who fails to find me (CQ)injures himself;
all who (CR)hate me (CS)love death.”
The Way of Wisdom
9 (CT)Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her (CU)seven (CV)pillars.
2 She has (CW)slaughtered her beasts; she has (CX)mixed her wine;
she has also (CY)set her table.
3 She has (CZ)sent out her young women to (DA)call
from (DB)the highest places in the town,
4 (DC)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
(DD)To him who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, (DE)eat of my bread
and (DF)drink of (DG)the wine I have mixed.
6 Leave (DH)your simple ways,[k] and (DI)live,
(DJ)and walk in the way of insight.”
7 Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8 (DK)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(DL)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9 Give instruction[l] to a wise man, and he will be (DM)still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will (DN)increase in learning.
10 (DO)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and (DP)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11 For by me (DQ)your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 (DR)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.
The Way of Folly
13 (DS)The woman Folly is (DT)loud;
she is seductive[m] and (DU)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on (DV)the highest places of the town,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who are (DW)going straight on their way,
16 (DX)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
17 (DY)“Stolen water is sweet,
and (DZ)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know (EA)that the dead[n] are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 7:5 Hebrew the foreign woman
- Proverbs 7:10 Hebrew guarded in heart
- Proverbs 7:14 Hebrew peace offerings
- Proverbs 7:22 Probable reading (compare Septuagint, Vulgate, Syriac); Hebrew as a chain to discipline a fool
- Proverbs 8:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint govern the earth
- Proverbs 8:22 Or fathered; Septuagint created
- Proverbs 8:22 Hebrew way
- Proverbs 8:28 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
- Proverbs 8:30 Or daily filled with
- Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
- Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
- Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
- Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim
Romans 9
English Standard Version
God's Sovereign Choice
9 (A)I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For (B)I could wish that I myself were (C)accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers,[a] my kinsmen (D)according to the flesh. 4 They are (E)Israelites, and to them belong (F)the adoption, (G)the glory, (H)the covenants, (I)the giving of the law, (J)the worship, and (K)the promises. 5 To them belong (L)the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, (M)who is God over all, (N)blessed forever. Amen.
6 But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham (O)because they are his offspring, but (P)“Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but (Q)the children of the promise are counted as offspring. 9 For this is what the promise said: (R)“About this time next year I will return, and Sarah shall have a son.” 10 And not only so, but (S)also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, 11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of (T)him who calls— 12 she was told, (U)“The older will serve the younger.” 13 As it is written, (V)“Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”
14 What shall we say then? (W)Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, (X)“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, (Y)“For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For (Z)who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, (AA)to answer back to God? (AB)Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 (AC)Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump (AD)one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience (AE)vessels of wrath (AF)prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known (AG)the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he (AH)has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he (AI)has called, (AJ)not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? 25 As indeed he says in Hosea,
(AK)“Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’
and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’”
26 (AL)“And in the very place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’
there they will be called (AM)‘sons of the living God.’”
27 And Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: (AN)“Though the number of the sons of Israel[c] be as the sand of the sea, (AO)only a remnant of them will be saved, 28 for the Lord will carry out his sentence upon the earth fully and without delay.” 29 And as Isaiah predicted,
(AP)(AQ)“If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring,
(AR)we would have been like Sodom
and become like Gomorrah.”
Israel's Unbelief
30 What shall we say, then? (AS)That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, (AT)a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but that Israel (AU)who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness[d] (AV)did not succeed in reaching that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the (AW)stumbling stone, 33 as it is written,
(AX)“Behold, I am laying in Zion (AY)a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
(AZ)and whoever believes in him will not be (BA)put to shame.”
Footnotes
- Romans 9:3 Or brothers and sisters
- Romans 9:16 Greek not of him who wills or runs
- Romans 9:27 Or children of Israel
- Romans 9:31 Greek a law of righteousness
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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