The Commendation of Wisdom

Does not (A)wisdom call,
And understanding [a]raise her voice?
On top of (B)the heights beside the way,
Where the paths meet, she takes her stand;
Beside the (C)gates, at the opening to the city,
At the entrance of the doors, she cries out:
“To you, people, I call,
And my voice is to [b]mankind.
You (D)naive ones, understand prudence;
And, you (E)fools, understand [c]wisdom!
Listen, for I will speak (F)noble things;
And the opening of my lips will reveal (G)right things.
For my (H)mouth will proclaim truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing (I)crooked or perverted in them.
They are all (J)straightforward to him who understands,
And right to those who (K)find knowledge.
10 Accept my (L)instruction and not silver,
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
11 For wisdom is (M)better than [d]jewels;
And (N)all desirable things cannot compare with her.

12 “I, wisdom, (O)dwell with prudence,
And I find (P)knowledge and discretion.
13 The (Q)fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
(R)Pride, arrogance, (S)the evil way,
And the (T)perverted mouth, I hate.
14 (U)Advice is mine and (V)sound wisdom;
I am understanding, (W)power is mine.
15 By me (X)kings reign,
And rulers decree justice.
16 By me princes rule, and nobles,
All who judge rightly.
17 I (Y)love those who love me;
And (Z)those who diligently seek me will find me.
18 (AA)Riches and honor are with me,
Enduring (AB)wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is (AC)better than gold, even pure gold;
And my yield better than (AD)choice silver.
20 I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice,
21 To endow those who love me with wealth,
That I may (AE)fill their treasuries.

22 “The Lord [e]created me (AF)at the beginning of His way,
Before His works [f]of old.
23 From eternity I was [g](AG)established,
From the beginning, (AH)from the earliest times of the earth.
24 When there were no (AI)ocean depths, I was born,
When there were no springs abounding with water.
25 (AJ)Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills, I was born;
26 While He had not yet made the earth and the [h]fields,
Nor the first dust of the world.
27 When He (AK)established the heavens, I was there;
When (AL)He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
28 When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became [i]fixed,
29 When (AM)He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His [j]command,
When He marked out (AN)the foundations of the earth;
30 Then (AO)I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
[k]Rejoicing always before Him,
31 [l]Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having (AP)my delight in the sons of mankind.

32 “Now then, sons, (AQ)listen to me,
For (AR)blessed are those who keep my ways.
33 (AS)Listen to instruction and be wise,
And do not neglect it.
34 (AT)Blessed is the person who listens to me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at my doorposts.
35 For (AU)one who finds me finds life,
And (AV)obtains favor from the Lord.
36 But one who [m]sins against me (AW)injures himself;
All those who (AX)hate me (AY)love death.”

Wisdom’s Invitation

Wisdom has (AZ)built her house,
She has carved out her seven pillars;
She has [n](BA)prepared her food, she has (BB)mixed her wine;
She has also (BC)set her table;
She has (BD)sent out her attendants, she (BE)calls out
From the (BF)tops of the heights of the city:
(BG)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here!”
To him who (BH)lacks [o]understanding she says,
“Come, (BI)eat of my food
And drink of the wine I have mixed.
[p]Abandon your foolishness and (BJ)live,
And (BK)proceed in the way of understanding.”

One who (BL)corrects a scoffer gets dishonor for himself,
And one who rebukes a wicked person gets [q]insults for himself.
(BM)Do not rebuke a scoffer, or he will hate you;
(BN)Rebuke a wise person and he will love you.
Give instruction to a wise person and he will become still wiser;
Teach a righteous person and he will (BO)increase his insight.
10 The (BP)fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For (BQ)by me your days will be multiplied,
And years of life will be added to you.
12 If you are wise, you are wise (BR)for yourself,
And if you (BS)scoff, you alone will [r]suffer from it.

13 [s]A woman of foolishness is (BT)boisterous,
She has a lack of understanding and (BU)knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
On a seat by (BV)the high places of the city,
15 Calling to those who pass by,
Who are going straight on their paths:
16 (BW)Whoever is naive, let him turn in here,”
And to him who lacks [t]understanding she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet;
And (BX)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18 But he does not know that the [u]dead are there,
That her guests are in the (BY)depths of Sheol.

Contrast of the Righteous and the Wicked

10 The (BZ)proverbs of Solomon.

(CA)A wise son makes a father glad,
But (CB)a foolish son is a grief to his mother.
[v](CC)Ill-gotten gains do not benefit,
But righteousness rescues from death.
The Lord (CD)will not allow the [w]righteous to hunger,
But He (CE)will [x]reject the craving of the wicked.
Poor is one who works with [y]a lazy hand,
But the (CF)hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
(CG)Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
But (CH)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The (CI)mentioning of the righteous is a blessing,
But (CJ)the name of the wicked will rot.
The (CK)wise of heart will receive commands,
But [z]a babbling fool will come to ruin.
One (CL)who walks in integrity walks securely,
But (CM)one who perverts his ways will be found out.
10 He (CN)who winks the eye causes trouble,
And [aa](CO)a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11 The (CP)mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
But (CQ)the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12 Hatred stirs up strife,
But (CR)love covers all offenses.
13 On (CS)the lips of the discerning, wisdom is found,
But (CT)a rod is for the back of him who has no [ab]sense.
14 Wise people (CU)store up knowledge,
But with (CV)the mouth of the foolish, ruin is at hand.
15 The (CW)rich person’s wealth is his [ac]fortress,
The (CX)ruin of the poor is their poverty.
16 The [ad](CY)wages of the righteous is life,
The income of the wicked, punishment.
17 One who (CZ)is on the path of life follows instruction,
But one who ignores a rebuke goes astray.
18 One (DA)who conceals hatred has lying lips,
And one who spreads slander is a fool.
19 When there are (DB)many words, wrongdoing is unavoidable,
But (DC)one who restrains his lips is wise.
20 The tongue of the righteous is like (DD)choice silver,
The heart of the wicked is worth little.
21 The (DE)lips of the righteous feed many,
But fools (DF)die for lack of [ae]understanding.
22 It is the (DG)blessing of the Lord that makes rich,
And He adds no sorrow to it.
23 Doing wickedness is like (DH)sport to a fool,
And so is wisdom to a person of understanding.
24 What (DI)the wicked fears will come upon him,
But the (DJ)desire of the righteous will be granted.
25 When the (DK)whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more,
But the (DL)righteous has an everlasting foundation.
26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [af](DM)lazy one to those who send him.
27 The (DN)fear of the Lord prolongs [ag]life,
But the (DO)years of the wicked will be shortened.
28 The (DP)hope of the righteous is gladness,
But the (DQ)expectation of the wicked perishes.
29 The (DR)way of the Lord is a stronghold for the upright,
But (DS)ruin to the workers of injustice.
30 The (DT)righteous will never be shaken,
But (DU)the wicked will not live in the land.
31 The (DV)mouth of the righteous flows with wisdom,
But the (DW)perverted tongue will be cut out.
32 The lips of the righteous know (DX)what is acceptable,
But the (DY)mouth of the wicked, what is perverted.

Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:1 Lit give
  2. Proverbs 8:4 Lit sons of mankind
  3. Proverbs 8:5 Lit heart
  4. Proverbs 8:11 Lit corals
  5. Proverbs 8:22 Or possessed
  6. Proverbs 8:22 Lit from then
  7. Proverbs 8:23 Or consecrated
  8. Proverbs 8:26 Lit outside places
  9. Proverbs 8:28 Lit strong
  10. Proverbs 8:29 Lit mouth
  11. Proverbs 8:30 Or Playing
  12. Proverbs 8:31 Or Playing
  13. Proverbs 8:36 Or misses me
  14. Proverbs 9:2 Lit slaughtered her slaughter
  15. Proverbs 9:4 Lit heart
  16. Proverbs 9:6 Or Abandon the naive
  17. Proverbs 9:7 Lit a blemish
  18. Proverbs 9:12 Lit bear
  19. Proverbs 9:13 Or A foolish woman
  20. Proverbs 9:16 Lit heart
  21. Proverbs 9:18 Lit departed spirits
  22. Proverbs 10:2 Lit Treasures of wickedness
  23. Proverbs 10:3 Lit soul of the righteous
  24. Proverbs 10:3 Lit thrust away
  25. Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
  26. Proverbs 10:8 Lit the foolish of lips
  27. Proverbs 10:10 Lit the foolish of lips
  28. Proverbs 10:13 Lit heart
  29. Proverbs 10:15 Lit strong city
  30. Proverbs 10:16 Or work
  31. Proverbs 10:21 Lit heart
  32. Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
  33. Proverbs 10:27 Lit days

Prayer for Rescue and Prosperity.

A Psalm of David.

144 Blessed be the Lord, (A)my rock,
Who (B)trains my hands for war,
And my fingers for battle;
My faithfulness and (C)my fortress,
My (D)stronghold and my savior,
My (E)shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who (F)subdues [a]my people under me.
Lord, (G)what is man, that You look after him?
Or a son of man, that You think of him?
(H)Man is like the breath;
His (I)days are like a passing shadow.

(J)Bend down Your heavens, Lord, and (K)come down;
(L)Touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
Flash forth (M)lightning and scatter them;
Send out Your (N)arrows and confuse them.
Reach out with Your hand (O)from on high;
Rescue me and (P)save me from great waters,
From the hand of (Q)foreigners
Whose mouths (R)speak deceit,
And whose (S)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

God, I will sing a (T)new song to You;
On a (U)harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You,
10 Who (V)gives salvation to kings,
Who (W)rescues His servant David from the evil sword.
11 Rescue me and save me from the hand of (X)foreigners,
Whose mouth (Y)speaks deceit
And whose (Z)right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

12 When our sons in their youth are like (AA)growing plants,
And our daughters like (AB)corner pillars [b]fashioned for a palace,
13 Our (AC)granaries are full, providing every kind of produce,
And our flocks deliver thousands and ten thousands in our [c]fields;
14 May our (AD)cattle [d]be bred
Without [e](AE)mishap and without [f](AF)loss,
May there be no (AG)outcry in our streets!
15 Blessed are the people who are so situated;
(AH)Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 144:2 Another reading is peoples
  2. Psalm 144:12 Lit cut after the pattern of
  3. Psalm 144:13 Lit outside
  4. Psalm 144:14 Lit be laden
  5. Psalm 144:14 Lit breach
  6. Psalm 144:14 Lit going out; i.e., miscarriage

Dedicated Service

12 Therefore (A)I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to (B)present your bodies as a living and holy sacrifice, [a]acceptable to God, which is your [b]spiritual service of worship. And do not (C)be conformed to (D)this [c]world, but be transformed by the (E)renewing of your mind, so that you may [d](F)prove what the will of God is, that which is good and [e]acceptable and perfect.

For through (G)the grace given to me I say to everyone among you (H)not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to (I)each a measure of faith. For (J)just as we have many parts in one body and all [f]the body’s parts do not have the same function, so we, (K)who are many, are (L)one body in Christ, and individually parts of one another. However, since we have gifts that (M)differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if (N)prophecy, [g]in proportion to one’s faith; if [h](O)service, in the act of serving; or the one who (P)teaches, in the act of teaching; or the one who [i](Q)exhorts, in the work of [j]exhortation; the one who gives, with [k](R)generosity; (S)the one who [l]is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with (T)cheerfulness.

[m](U)Love must be free of hypocrisy. (V)Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be (W)devoted to one another in brotherly love; [n]give preference to one another (X)in honor, 11 not lagging behind in diligence, (Y)fervent in spirit, (Z)serving the Lord; 12 (AA)rejoicing in hope, (AB)persevering in tribulation, (AC)devoted to prayer, 13 (AD)contributing to the needs of the [o]saints, [p](AE)practicing hospitality.

14 (AF)Bless those who persecute [q]you; bless and do not curse. 15 (AG)Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 (AH)Be of the same mind toward one another; (AI)do not be [r]haughty in mind, but [s]associate with the lowly. (AJ)Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 (AK)Never repay evil for evil to anyone. [t](AL)Respect what is right in the sight of all people. 18 If possible, (AM)so far as it depends on you, (AN)be at peace with all people. 19 (AO)Never take your own revenge, beloved, but [u]leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “(AP)Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. 20 (AQ)But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Footnotes

  1. Romans 12:1 Or pleasing
  2. Romans 12:1 I.e., in contrast to offering a literal sacrifice
  3. Romans 12:2 Or age
  4. Romans 12:2 Or discover
  5. Romans 12:2 Or pleasing
  6. Romans 12:4 Lit the parts
  7. Romans 12:6 Or in agreement with the faith
  8. Romans 12:7 Or office of service
  9. Romans 12:8 Or encourages
  10. Romans 12:8 Or encouragement
  11. Romans 12:8 Or sincere concern
  12. Romans 12:8 Or provides care
  13. Romans 12:9 Or Love has no
  14. Romans 12:10 Or outdo one another in showing honor
  15. Romans 12:13 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
  16. Romans 12:13 Lit pursuing
  17. Romans 12:14 Two early mss do not contain you
  18. Romans 12:16 Or arrogant
  19. Romans 12:16 Or accommodate yourself to lowly things
  20. Romans 12:17 Lit Take thought for
  21. Romans 12:19 Lit give a place

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