Proverbs 2-4

New International Version

Moral Benefits of Wisdom

2 My son,^(A) if you accept my words
    and store up my commands within you,
²turning your ear to wisdom
    and applying your heart to understanding^(B)—
³indeed, if you call out for insight^(C)
    and cry aloud for understanding,
⁴and if you look for it as for silver
    and search for it as for hidden treasure,^(D)
⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.^(E)
⁶For the Lord gives wisdom;^(F)
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding.^(G)
⁷He holds success in store for the upright,
    he is a shield^(H) to those whose walk is blameless,^(I)
⁸for he guards the course of the just
    and protects the way of his faithful ones.^(J)

⁹Then you will understand^(K) what is right and just
    and fair—every good path.
¹⁰For wisdom will enter your heart,^(L)
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.
¹¹Discretion will protect you,
    and understanding will guard you.^(M)

¹²Wisdom will save^(N) you from the ways of wicked men,
    from men whose words are perverse,
¹³who have left the straight paths
    to walk in dark ways,^(O)
¹⁴who delight in doing wrong
    and rejoice in the perverseness of evil,^(P)
¹⁵whose paths are crooked^(Q)
    and who are devious in their ways.^(R)

¹⁶Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman,^(S)
    from the wayward woman with her seductive words,
¹⁷who has left the partner of her youth
    and ignored the covenant she made before God.^[a]^(T)
¹⁸Surely her house leads down to death
    and her paths to the spirits of the dead.^(U)
¹⁹None who go to her return
    or attain the paths of life.^(V)

²⁰Thus you will walk in the ways of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright will live in the land,^(W)
    and the blameless will remain in it;
²²but the wicked^(X) will be cut off from the land,^(Y)
    and the unfaithful will be torn from it.^(Z)

Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

3 My son,^(AA) do not forget my teaching,^(AB)
but keep my commands in your heart,
²for they will prolong your life many years^(AC)
and bring you peace and prosperity.^(AD)

³Let love and faithfulness^(AE) never leave you;
    bind them around your neck,
    write them on the tablet of your heart.^(AF)
⁴Then you will win favor and a good name
    in the sight of God and man.^(AG)

⁵Trust in the Lord^(AH) with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths^(AI) straight.^[b]^(AJ)

⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes;^(AK)
fear the Lord^(AL) and shun evil.^(AM)
⁸This will bring health to your body^(AN)
and nourishment to your bones.^(AO)

⁹Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits^(AP) of all your crops;
¹⁰then your barns will be filled^(AQ) to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.^(AR)

¹¹My son,^(AS) do not despise the Lord’s discipline,^(AT)
and do not resent his rebuke,
¹²because the Lord disciplines those he loves,^(AU)
as a father the son he delights in.^[c]^(AV)

¹³Blessed are those who find wisdom,
    those who gain understanding,
¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver
    and yields better returns than gold.^(AW)
¹⁵She is more precious than rubies;^(AX)
    nothing you desire can compare with her.^(AY)
¹⁶Long life is in her right hand;^(AZ)
    in her left hand are riches and honor.^(BA)
¹⁷Her ways are pleasant ways,
    and all her paths are peace.^(BB)
¹⁸She is a tree of life^(BC) to those who take hold of her;
    those who hold her fast will be blessed.^(BD)

¹⁹By wisdom^(BE) the Lord laid the earth’s foundations,^(BF)
by understanding he set the heavens^(BG) in place;
²⁰by his knowledge the watery depths were divided,
and the clouds let drop the dew.

²¹My son,^(BH) do not let wisdom and understanding out of your sight,^(BI)
    preserve sound judgment and discretion;
²²they will be life for you,^(BJ)
    an ornament to grace your neck.^(BK)
²³Then you will go on your way in safety,^(BL)
    and your foot will not stumble.^(BM)
²⁴When you lie down,^(BN) you will not be afraid;^(BO)
    when you lie down, your sleep^(BP) will be sweet.
²⁵Have no fear of sudden disaster
    or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked,
²⁶for the Lord will be at your side^(BQ)
    and will keep your foot^(BR) from being snared.^(BS)

²⁷Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,
    when it is in your power to act.
²⁸Do not say to your neighbor,
    “Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you”—
    when you already have it with you.^(BT)
²⁹Do not plot harm against your neighbor,
    who lives trustfully near you.^(BU)
³⁰Do not accuse anyone for no reason—
    when they have done you no harm.

³¹Do not envy^(BV) the violent
or choose any of their ways.

³²For the Lord detests the perverse^(BW)
    but takes the upright into his confidence.^(BX)
³³The Lord’s curse^(BY) is on the house of the wicked,^(BZ)
    but he blesses the home of the righteous.^(CA)
³⁴He mocks^(CB) proud mockers^(CC)
    but shows favor to the humble^(CD) and oppressed.
³⁵The wise inherit honor,
    but fools get only shame.

Get Wisdom at Any Cost

4 Listen, my sons,^(CE) to a father’s instruction;^(CF)
    pay attention and gain understanding.^(CG)
²I give you sound learning,
    so do not forsake my teaching.
³For I too was a son to my father,
    still tender, and cherished by my mother.
⁴Then he taught me, and he said to me,
    “Take hold^(CH) of my words with all your heart;
    keep my commands, and you will live.^(CI)
⁵Get wisdom,^(CJ) get understanding;
    do not forget my words or turn away from them.
⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you;^(CK)
    love her, and she will watch over you.^(CL)
⁷The beginning of wisdom is this: Get^[d] wisdom.
    Though it cost all^(CM) you have,^[e] get understanding.^(CN)
⁸Cherish her, and she will exalt you;
    embrace her, and she will honor you.^(CO)
⁹She will give you a garland to grace your head
    and present you with a glorious crown.^(CP)”

¹⁰Listen, my son,^(CQ) accept what I say,
    and the years of your life will be many.^(CR)
¹¹I instruct^(CS) you in the way of wisdom
    and lead you along straight paths.^(CT)
¹²When you walk, your steps will not be hampered;
    when you run, you will not stumble.^(CU)
¹³Hold on to instruction, do not let it go;
    guard it well, for it is your life.^(CV)
¹⁴Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
    or walk in the way of evildoers.^(CW)
¹⁵Avoid it, do not travel on it;
    turn from it and go on your way.
¹⁶For they cannot rest until they do evil;^(CX)
    they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble.
¹⁷They eat the bread of wickedness
    and drink the wine of violence.^(CY)

¹⁸The path of the righteous^(CZ) is like the morning sun,^(DA)
shining ever brighter till the full light of day.^(DB)
¹⁹But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;^(DC)
they do not know what makes them stumble.^(DD)

²⁰My son,^(DE) pay attention to what I say;
    turn your ear to my words.^(DF)
²¹Do not let them out of your sight,^(DG)
    keep them within your heart;
²²for they are life to those who find them
    and health to one’s whole body.^(DH)
²³Above all else, guard^(DI) your heart,
    for everything you do flows from it.^(DJ)
²⁴Keep your mouth free of perversity;
    keep corrupt talk far from your lips.
²⁵Let your eyes^(DK) look straight ahead;
    fix your gaze directly before you.
²⁶Give careful thought to the^[f] paths for your feet^(DL)
    and be steadfast in all your ways.
²⁷Do not turn to the right or the left;^(DM)
    keep your foot from evil.

Footnotes

Proverbs 2:17 Or covenant of her God
Proverbs 3:6 Or will direct your paths
Proverbs 3:12 Hebrew; Septuagint loves, / and he chastens everyone he accepts as his child
Proverbs 4:7 Or Wisdom is supreme; therefore get
Proverbs 4:7 Or wisdom. / Whatever else you get
Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level

John 19:23-42

New International Version

²³When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴“Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled^(A) that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”^[a]^(B)

So this is what the soldiers did.

²⁵Near the cross^(C) of Jesus stood his mother,^(D) his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.^(E) ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother^(F) there, and the disciple whom he loved^(G) standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,^[b] here is your son,” ²⁷and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus^(H)

²⁸Later, knowing that everything had now been finished,^(I) and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,^(J) Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar of wine vinegar^(K) was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. ³⁰When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”^(L) With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹Now it was the day of Preparation,^(M) and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses^(N) during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³²The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.^(O) ³³But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced^(P) Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.^(Q) ³⁵The man who saw it^(R) has given testimony, and his testimony is true.^(S) He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:^(T) “Not one of his bones will be broken,”^[c]^(U) ³⁷and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”^[d]^(V)

The Burial of Jesus^(W)

³⁸Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.^(X) With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. ³⁹He was accompanied by Nicodemus,^(Y) the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.^[e] ⁴⁰Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.^(Z) This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.^(AA) ⁴¹At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation^(AB) and since the tomb was nearby,^(AC) they laid Jesus there.