Wisdom of Solomon 5:1-16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 Then the righteous will stand with great confidence
in the presence of those who have oppressed them
and those who make light of their labors.(A)
2 When the unrighteous[a] see them, they will be shaken with dreadful fear,
and they will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous.(B)
3 They will speak to one another in repentance,
and in anguish of spirit they will groan,(C)
4 “These are persons whom we once held in derision
and made a byword of reproach—fools that we were!
We thought that their lives were madness
and that their end was without honor.(D)
5 Why have they been numbered among the children of God?
And why is their lot among the holy ones?
6 So it was we who strayed from the way of truth,
and the light of righteousness did not shine on us,
and the sun did not rise upon us.(E)
7 We took our fill of the paths of lawlessness and destruction,
and we journeyed through trackless deserts,
but the way of the Lord we have not known.(F)
8 What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
9 “All those things have vanished like a shadow
and like a rumor that passes by;(G)
10 like a ship that sails through the billowy water,
and when it has passed no trace can be found,
no track of its keel in the waves;(H)
11 or as, when a bird flies through the air,
no evidence of its passage is found;
the light air, lashed by the beat of its pinions
and pierced by the force of its rushing flight,
is traversed by the movement of its wings,
and afterward no sign of its coming is found there;(I)
12 or as, when an arrow is shot at a target,
the air, thus divided, comes together at once,
so that no one knows its pathway.(J)
13 So we also, as soon as we were born, ceased to be,
and we had no sign of virtue to show
but were consumed in our wickedness.”
14 Because the hope of the ungodly is like thistledown[b] carried by the wind
and like a light frost[c] driven away by a storm;
it is dispersed like smoke before the wind,
and it passes like the remembrance of a guest who stays but a day.(K)
The Reward of the Righteous
15 But the righteous live forever,
and their reward is with the Lord;
the Most High takes care of them.(L)
16 Therefore they will receive a glorious crown
and a beautiful diadem from the hand of the Lord,
because with his right hand he will cover them,
and with his arm he will shield them.(M)
Matthew 6:1-18
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Concerning Almsgiving
6 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven.(A)
2 “So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.(B) 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[a](C)
Concerning Prayer
5 “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.(D) 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[b](E)
7 “When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.(F) 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
10 May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.(G)
11 Give us today our daily bread.[c](H)
12 And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.(I)
13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,[d]
but rescue us from the evil one.[e](J)
14 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,(K) 15 but if you do not forgive others,[f] neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.(L)
Concerning Fasting
16 “And whenever you fast, do not look somber, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18 so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.[g]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 6.4 Other ancient authorities add openly
- 6.6 Other ancient authorities add openly
- 6.11 Or our bread for tomorrow
- 6.13 Or us into testing
- 6.13 Or from evil. Other ancient authorities add, in some form, For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.
- 6.15 Other ancient authorities add their trespasses
- 6.18 Other ancient authorities add openly
Wisdom of Solomon 6:1-21
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Kings Should Seek Wisdom
6 Listen therefore, O kings, and understand;
learn, O judges of the ends of the earth.(A)
2 Give ear, you who rule over multitudes
and boast of many nations.
3 For your dominion was given you from the Lord
and your sovereignty from the Most High;
he will search out your works and inquire into your plans.(B)
4 Because as servants of his kingdom you did not rule rightly
or keep the law
or walk according to the purpose of God,(C)
5 he will come upon you terribly and swiftly,
because severe judgment falls on those in high places.
6 For the lowliest may be pardoned in mercy,
but the mighty will be mightily tested.(D)
7 For the Lord of all will not stand in awe of anyone
or show deference to greatness,
because he himself made both small and great,
and he takes thought for all alike.(E)
8 But a strict inquiry is in store for the mighty.
9 To you then, O monarchs, my words are directed,
so that you may learn wisdom and not transgress.(F)
10 For they will be made holy who observe holy things in holiness,
and those who have been taught them will find a defense.(G)
11 Therefore set your desire on my words;
long for them, and you will be instructed.
Description of Wisdom
12 Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her
and is found by those who seek her.(H)
13 She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.(I)
14 One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.(J)
15 To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
and one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,(K)
16 because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths
and meets them in every thought.
17 The beginning of wisdom[a] is the most sincere desire for instruction,
18 and concern for instruction is love of her,
and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,(L)
19 and immortality brings one near to God,
20 so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.(M)
21 Therefore if you delight in thrones and scepters, O monarchs over the peoples,
honor wisdom, so that you may reign forever.(N)
Footnotes
- 6.17 Gk Her beginning
Revelation 2:18-3:6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Message to Thyatira
18 “And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze:(A)
19 “I know your works: your love, faith, service, and endurance. I know that your latest works are greater than the first. 20 But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to engage in sexual immorality[a] and to eat food sacrificed to idols.(B) 21 I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her sexual immorality.[b](C) 22 Beware, I am throwing her on a bed, and those who commit adultery with her I am throwing into great distress, unless they repent of her doings, 23 and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will know that I am the one who searches minds and hearts, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.(D) 24 But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call ‘the deep things of Satan,’ to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden;(E) 25 only hold fast to what you have until I come. 26 To everyone who conquers and continues to do my works to the end,
I will give authority over the nations,(F)
27 to rule[c] them with an iron scepter,
as when clay pots are shattered—(G)
28 “even as I also received authority from my Father. To the one who conquers I will also give the morning star.(H) 29 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
The Message to Sardis
3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These are the words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars:
“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.(I) 2 Wake up and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, then, what you received and heard; obey it and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.(J) 4 Yet you have still a few persons in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes; they will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy.(K) 5 If you conquer, you will be clothed like them in white robes, and I will not erase your name from the book of life; I will confess your name before my Father and before his angels.(L) 6 Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.