Ecclesiastes 10:10
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10 If the iron is blunt and one does not whet the edge,
then more strength must be exerted,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.
James 1:5
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5 If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you.(A)
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Ecclesiastes 10:15
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15 The toil of fools wears them out,
for they do not even know the way to town.
Colossians 4:5
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5 Conduct yourselves wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the time.[a](A)
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- 4.5 Or opportunity
1 Corinthians 14:20
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20 Brothers and sisters, do not be children in your thinking; rather, be infants in evil, but in thinking be adults.(A)
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Ephesians 5:15-17
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15 Be careful, then, how you live,[a] not as unwise people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days are evil.(A) 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.(B)
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- 5.15 Gk walk
1 Kings 3:9
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9 Give your servant, therefore, an understanding mind to govern your people, able to discern between good and evil, for who can govern this great people of yours?”(A)
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Romans 16:19
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19 For your obedience is known to all; therefore, I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil.(A)
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Acts 6:1-9
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Seven Chosen to Serve
6 Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.(A) 2 And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables.[a] 3 Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,(B) 4 while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.” 5 What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.(C) 6 They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.(D)
7 The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.(E)
The Arrest of Stephen
8 Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and others of those from Cilicia and Asia, stood up and argued with Stephen.
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- 6.2 Or keep accounts
Matthew 10:16
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Coming Persecutions
16 “I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.(A)
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Ecclesiastes 9:15-17
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15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man.(A) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than might; yet the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heeded.”(B)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouting of a ruler among fools.(C)
2 Chronicles 23:4-11
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4 This is what you are to do: one-third of you, priests and Levites, who come on duty on the Sabbath shall be gatekeepers,(A) 5 one-third shall be at the king’s house, and one-third at the Gate of the Foundation, and all the people shall be in the courts of the house of the Lord. 6 Do not let anyone enter the house of the Lord except the priests and ministering Levites; they may enter, for they are holy, but all the other[a] people shall observe the instructions of the Lord. 7 The Levites shall surround the king, each with his weapons in his hand, and whoever enters the house shall be killed. Stay with the king in his comings and goings.”(B)
Joash Crowned King
8 The Levites and all Judah did according to all that the priest Jehoiada commanded; each brought his men who were to come on duty on the Sabbath with those who were to go off duty on the Sabbath, for the priest Jehoiada did not dismiss the divisions.(C) 9 The priest Jehoiada delivered to the captains the spears and the large and small shields that had been King David’s, which were in the house of God,(D) 10 and he set all the people as a guard for the king, everyone with weapon in hand, from the south side of the house to the north side of the house, around the altar and the house. 11 Then he brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, and gave him the covenant; they proclaimed him king, and Jehoiada and his sons anointed him, and they shouted, “Long live the king!”(E)
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- 23.6 Heb lacks other
Exodus 18:19-23
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19 Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people before God and bring their cases to God.(A) 20 Teach them the statutes and instructions and make known to them the way they are to go and the things they are to do.(B) 21 You should also look for able men among all the people, men who fear God, are trustworthy, and hate dishonest gain; set them as officers over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.(C) 22 Let them sit as judges for the people at all times; let them bring every important case to you but decide every minor case themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.(D) 23 If you do this and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people will go to their homes in peace.”
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Genesis 41:33-39
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33 Now therefore let Pharaoh select a man who is discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt. 34 Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plenteous years. 35 Let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and lay up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it.(A) 36 That food shall be a reserve for the land against the seven years of famine that are to befall the land of Egypt, so that the land may not perish through the famine.”
Joseph’s Rise to Power
37 The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this, one in whom is the spirit of God?”(B) 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you.
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1 Chronicles 12:32
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32 Of Issachar, those who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, two hundred chiefs, and all their kindred under their command.(A)
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Acts 15:2-21
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2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.(A) 3 So they were sent on their way by the church, and as they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, they reported the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.(B) 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.(C) 5 But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers,[a] you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers.(D) 8 And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us,(E) 9 and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us.(F) 10 Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?(G) 11 On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”(H)
12 The whole assembly kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles.(I) 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “My brothers,[b] listen to me.(J) 14 Simeon has related how God first looked favorably on the gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. 15 This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,
16 ‘After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
from its ruins I will rebuild it,
and I will set it up,(K)
17 so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
even all the gentiles over whom my name has been called.
Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things 18 known from long ago.’[c]
19 “Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from sexual immorality and from whatever has been strangled[d] and from blood.(L) 21 For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every Sabbath in the synagogues.”(M)
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