Proverbs 1-2

English Standard Version

The Beginning of Knowledge

1 ^(A)The proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

²To know wisdom and instruction,
    to understand words of insight,
³to receive instruction in wise dealing,
    in ^(B)righteousness, justice, and equity;
⁴to give prudence to ^(C)the simple,
    knowledge and ^(D)discretion to the youth—
⁵Let the wise hear and ^(E)increase in learning,
    and the one who understands obtain guidance,
⁶to understand a proverb and a saying,
    ^(F)the words of the wise and their ^(G)riddles.

⁷^(H)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

⁸^(I)Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
    and forsake not your mother's teaching,
⁹for they are ^(J)a graceful garland for your head
    and ^(K)pendants for your neck.
¹⁰My son, if sinners ^(L)entice you,
    do not consent.
¹¹If they say, “Come with us, ^(M)let us lie in wait for blood;
    ^(N)let us ambush the innocent without reason;
¹²like Sheol let us ^(O)swallow them alive,
    and whole, like ^(P)those who go down to the pit;
¹³we shall find all precious goods,
    we shall fill our houses with plunder;
¹⁴throw in your lot among us;
    we will all have one purse”—
¹⁵my son, ^(Q)do not walk in the way with them;
    ^(R)hold back your foot from their paths,
¹⁶for ^(S)their feet run to evil,
    and they make haste to shed blood.
¹⁷^(T)For in vain is a net spread
    in the sight of any bird,
¹⁸but these men ^(U)lie in wait for their own blood;
    they ^(V)set an ambush for their own lives.
¹⁹^(W)Such are the ways of everyone who is ^(X)greedy for unjust gain;
    ^(Y)it takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

²⁰^(Z)Wisdom cries aloud in the street,
    in the markets she raises her voice;
²¹at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
    at ^(AA)the entrance of the city gates she speaks:
²²“How long, O ^(AB)simple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will ^(AC)scoffers delight in their scoffing
    and fools ^(AD)hate knowledge?
²³If you turn at my reproof,^[a]
behold, I will ^(AE)pour out my spirit to you;
    I will make my words known to you.
²⁴^(AF)Because I have called and ^(AG)you refused to listen,
    have ^(AH)stretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
²⁵because you have ^(AI)ignored all my counsel
    and ^(AJ)would have none of my reproof,
²⁶I also ^(AK)will laugh at your calamity;
    I will mock when ^(AL)terror strikes you,
²⁷when terror strikes you like ^(AM)a storm
    and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
    when distress and anguish come upon you.
²⁸^(AN)Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
    they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
²⁹Because they ^(AO)hated knowledge
    and ^(AP)did not choose the fear of the Lord,
³⁰^(AQ)would have none of my counsel
    and ^(AR)despised all my reproof,
³¹therefore they shall eat ^(AS)the fruit of their way,
    and have ^(AT)their fill of their own devices.
³²For the simple are killed by ^(AU)their turning away,
    and ^(AV)the complacency of fools destroys them;
³³but ^(AW)whoever listens to me will dwell secure
    and will be ^(AX)at ease, without dread of disaster.”

The Value of Wisdom

2 ^(AY)My son, ^(AZ)if you receive my words
    and treasure up my commandments with you,
²making your ear attentive to wisdom
    and inclining your heart to understanding;
³yes, if you call out for insight
    and raise your voice ^(BA)for understanding,
⁴if you seek it like ^(BB)silver
    and search for it as for ^(BC)hidden treasures,
⁵then ^(BD)you will understand the fear of the Lord
    and find the knowledge of God.
⁶For ^(BE)the Lord gives wisdom;
    from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
⁷he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
    he is ^(BF)a shield to those who ^(BG)walk in integrity,
⁸guarding the paths of justice
    and ^(BH)watching over the way of his ^(BI)saints.
⁹^(BJ)Then you will understand ^(BK)righteousness and justice
    and equity, every good path;
¹⁰for wisdom will come into your heart,
    and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
¹¹^(BL)discretion will ^(BM)watch over you,
    understanding will guard you,
¹²delivering you from the way of evil,
    from men of perverted speech,
¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness
    to ^(BN)walk in the ways of darkness,
¹⁴who ^(BO)rejoice in doing evil
    and ^(BP)delight in the perverseness of evil,
¹⁵men whose ^(BQ)paths are crooked,
    ^(BR)and who are ^(BS)devious in their ways.

¹⁶So ^(BT)you will be delivered from the forbidden^[b] woman,
    from ^(BU)the adulteress^[c] with ^(BV)her smooth words,
¹⁷who forsakes ^(BW)the companion of her youth
    and forgets ^(BX)the covenant of her God;
¹⁸^(BY)for her house sinks down to death,
    and her paths to the departed;^[d]
¹⁹none who go to her come back,
    nor do they regain the paths of life.

²⁰So you will walk in the way of the good
    and keep to the paths of the righteous.
²¹For the upright ^(BZ)will inhabit the land,
    and those with integrity will remain in it,
²²but the wicked will be ^(CA)cut off from the land,
    and the treacherous will be ^(CB)rooted out of it.

Footnotes

Proverbs 1:23 Or Will you turn away at my reproof?
Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim

1 Corinthians 14:21-40

English Standard Version

²¹^(A)In the Law it is written, ^(B)“By people of strange tongues and by the lips of foreigners will I speak to this people, and even then they will not listen to me, says the Lord.” ²²Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is a sign^[a] not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³If, therefore, the whole church comes together and all speak in tongues, and outsiders or unbelievers enter, ^(C)will they not say that you are out of your minds? ²⁴But if all prophesy, and an unbeliever or outsider enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all, ²⁵^(D)the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so, ^(E)falling on his face, he will worship God and ^(F)declare that God is really among you.

Orderly Worship

²⁶What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has ^(G)a hymn, ^(H)a lesson, ^(I)a revelation, ^(J)a tongue, or ^(K)an interpretation. ^(L)Let all things be done for building up. ²⁷If any speak in ^(M)a tongue, let there be only two or at most three, and each in turn, and let someone interpret. ²⁸But if there is no one to interpret, let each of them keep silent in church and speak to himself and to God. ²⁹Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others ^(N)weigh what is said. ³⁰If a revelation is made to another sitting there, ^(O)let the first be silent. ³¹For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged, ³²and the spirits of prophets are subject to prophets. ³³For God is not a God of ^(P)confusion but of peace.

As in ^(Q)all the churches of the saints, ³⁴^(R)the women should keep silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak, but ^(S)should be in submission, as ^(T)the Law also says. ³⁵If there is anything they desire to learn, let them ask their husbands at home. For it is shameful for a woman to speak in church.

³⁶Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? ³⁷^(U)If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. ³⁸If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. ³⁹So, my brothers, ^(V)earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. ⁴⁰^(W)But all things should be done decently and ^(X)in order.