Sirach 22:27-23:15
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
A Prayer for Help against Sinning
27 Who will set a guard over my mouth
and an effective seal upon my lips,
so that I may not fall because of them
and my tongue may not destroy me?(A)
23 O Lord, Father and Master of my life,
do not abandon me to their designs,
and do not let me fall among them!(B)
2 Who will set whips over my thoughts
and the discipline of wisdom over my mind,
so as not to spare me in my errors
and not overlook my[a] sins?(C)
3 Otherwise my mistakes may be multiplied,
and my sins may abound,
and I may fall before my adversaries,
and my enemy may rejoice over me.[b](D)
4 O Lord, Father and God of my life,
do not give me haughty eyes,(E)
5 and remove desire from me.
6 Let neither gluttony nor lust overcome me,
and do not give me over to shameless passion.(F)
Discipline of the Tongue[c]
7 Listen, my children, to instruction concerning the mouth;
the one who observes it will never be caught.
8 Sinners are overtaken through their lips;
by them the reviler and the arrogant are tripped up.(G)
9 Do not accustom your mouth to oaths
nor habitually utter the name of the Holy One,(H)
10 for as a slave who is constantly under scrutiny
will not lack bruises,
so also the person who always swears and utters the Name
will never be cleansed[d] from sin.(I)
11 The one who swears many oaths is full of iniquity,
and the scourge will not leave his house.
If he swears in error, his sin remains on him,
and if he disregards it, he sins doubly;
if he swears a false oath, he will not be justified,
for his house will be filled with calamities.(J)
Foul Language
12 There is a manner of speaking comparable to death;[e]
may it never be found in the inheritance of Jacob!
Such conduct will be far from the godly,
and they will not wallow in sins.(K)
13 Do not accustom your mouth to lewd ignorance,
for it involves sinful speech.
14 Remember your father and mother
when you sit among the great,
or you may forget yourself in their presence,
and behave like a fool through habit;
then you will wish that you had never been born,
and you will curse the day of your birth.(L)
15 Those who are accustomed to using abusive language
will never become disciplined as long as they live.
Acts 20:17-38
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Paul Speaks to the Ephesian Elders
17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, asking the elders of the church to meet him.(A) 18 When they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,(B) 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20 I did not shrink from doing anything helpful, proclaiming the message to you and teaching you publicly and from house to house,(C) 21 as I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus.[a](D) 22 And now, as a captive to the Spirit,[b] I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,(E) 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.(F) 24 But I do not count my life of any value to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.(G)
25 “And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again.(H) 26 Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you,(I) 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.(J) 28 Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God[c] that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.[d](K) 29 I know that after I have gone, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.(L) 30 Some even from your own group will come distorting the truth in order to entice the disciples to follow them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to warn everyone with tears.(M) 32 And now I commend you to God and to the message of his grace, a message that is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all who are sanctified.(N) 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing.(O) 34 You know for yourselves that I worked with my own hands to support myself and my companions.(P) 35 In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”(Q)
36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt down with them all and prayed.(R) 37 There was much weeping among them all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,(S) 38 grieving especially because of what he had said, that they would not see him again. Then they brought him to the ship.(T)
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Sirach 24:1-22
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Praise of Wisdom[a]
24 Wisdom praises herself
and tells of her glory in the midst of her people.(A)
2 In the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth,
and in the presence of his hosts she tells of her glory:
3 “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High
and covered the earth like a mist.(B)
4 I encamped in the heights,
and my throne was in a pillar of cloud.(C)
5 Alone I compassed the vault of heaven
and traversed the depths of the abyss.(D)
6 Over waves of the sea, over all the earth,
and over every people and nation I have held sway.[b](E)
7 Among all these I sought a resting place;
in whose inheritance should I abide?
8 “Then the Creator of all things gave me a command,
and my Creator pitched my tent.
He said, ‘Encamp in Jacob,
and in Israel receive your inheritance.’(F)
9 Before the ages, in the beginning, he created me,
and for all the ages I shall not cease to be.(G)
10 In the holy tent I ministered before him,
and so I was established in Zion.(H)
11 Thus in the beloved city he gave me a resting place,
and in Jerusalem was my domain.(I)
12 I took root in an honored people;
in the portion of the Lord is my inheritance.(J)
13 “I grew tall like a cedar in Lebanon
and like a cypress on the heights of Hermon.(K)
14 I grew tall like a palm tree in En-gedi[c]
and like rosebushes in Jericho;
like a fair olive tree in the field
and like a plane tree beside water[d] I grew tall.(L)
15 Like cassia and camel’s thorn I gave forth perfume,
and like choice myrrh I spread my fragrance,
like galbanum, onycha, and stacte,
and like the odor of incense in the tent.(M)
16 Like a terebinth I spread out my branches,
and my branches are glorious and graceful.
17 Like the vine I bud forth delights,
and my blossoms become glorious and abundant fruit.[e](N)
19 “Come to me, you who desire me,
and eat your fill of my fruits.(O)
20 For the memory of me is sweeter than honey
and the possession of me sweeter than the honeycomb.(P)
21 Those who eat of me will hunger for more,
and those who drink of me will thirst for more.
22 Whoever obeys me will not be put to shame,
and those who work with me will not sin.”
Footnotes
- 24.1 This heading is included in the Gk text.
- 24.6 Other ancient authorities read I have acquired a possession
- 24.14 Other ancient authorities read on the beaches
- 24.14 Other ancient authorities omit beside water
- 24.17 Other ancient authorities add as 24.18: I am the mother of beautiful love, of fear, of knowledge, and of holy hope; I give to all my children; these things are eternal for those who are named by him.
Acts 21:1-16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Paul’s Journey to Jerusalem
21 When we had parted from them and set sail, we came by a straight course to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.[a] 2 When we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail.(A) 3 We came in sight of Cyprus, and leaving it on our left, we sailed to Syria and landed at Tyre, because the ship was to unload its cargo there. 4 We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.(B) 5 When our days there were ended, we left and proceeded on our journey, and all of them, with wives and children, escorted us outside the city. There we knelt down on the beach and prayed(C) 6 and said farewell to one another. Then we went on board the ship, and they returned home.
7 When we had finished[b] the voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, and we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for one day.(D) 8 The next day we left and came to Caesarea, and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and stayed with him.(E) 9 He had four unmarried daughters[c] who had the gift of prophecy.(F) 10 While we were staying there for several days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the gentiles.’ ”(G) 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”(H) 14 Since he would not be persuaded, we remained silent except to say, “The Lord’s will be done.”(I)
15 After these days we got ready and started to go up to Jerusalem. 16 Some of the disciples from Caesarea also came along and brought us to the house of Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to stay.(J)
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