Proverbs 8-9

Contemporary English Version

In Praise of Wisdom

8 ^(A) With great understanding,
    Wisdom^[a] is calling out
²as she stands at the crossroads
    and on every hill.
³She stands by the city gate
where everyone enters the city,
    and she shouts:
⁴“I am calling out
    to each one of you!
⁵Good sense and sound judgment
    can be yours.
⁶Listen, because what I say
    is worthwhile and right.
⁷I always speak the truth
    and refuse to tell a lie.
⁸Every word I speak is honest,
not one is misleading
    or deceptive.

⁹“If you have understanding,
you will see that my words
    are just what you need.
¹⁰Let instruction and knowledge
mean more to you than silver
    or the finest gold.
¹¹^(B) Wisdom is worth much more
than precious jewels
    or anything else you desire.”

Wisdom Speaks

¹²I am Wisdom^[b]—Common Sense
    is my closest friend;
I possess knowledge
    and sound judgment.
¹³If you respect the Lord,
    you will hate evil.
I hate pride and conceit
    and deceitful lies.
¹⁴I am strong, and I offer
sensible advice
    and sound judgment.
¹⁵By my power kings govern,
and rulers make laws
    that are fair.
¹⁶Every honest leader rules
    with help from me.

¹⁷I love everyone who loves me,
and I will be found by all
    who honestly search.
¹⁸I can make you rich and famous,
    important and successful.
¹⁹What you receive from me
    is more valuable
than even the finest gold
    or the purest silver.
²⁰I always do what is right,
²¹and I give great riches
    to everyone who loves me.

²²^(C) From the beginning,
    I was with the Lord.^[c]
I was there before he began
²³    to create the earth.
At the very first,
    the Lord gave life to^[d] me.
²⁴When I was born,
there were no oceans
    or springs of water.
²⁵My birth was before
mountains were formed
    or hills were put in place.
²⁶It happened long before God
    had made the earth
or any of its fields
    or even the dust.

²⁷^(D) I was there when the Lord
    put the heavens in place
and stretched the sky
    over the surface of the sea.
²⁸I was with him when he placed
    the clouds in the sky
and created the springs
    that fill the ocean.
²⁹I was there when he set
boundaries for the sea
    to make it obey him,
and when he laid foundations
    to support the earth.

³⁰I was right beside the Lord,
    helping him plan and build.^[e]
I made him happy each day,
    and I was happy at his side.
³¹I was pleased with his world
    and pleased with its people.

³²^(E) Pay attention, my children!
Follow my advice,
and you will be happy.
³³Listen carefully
to my instructions,
and you will be wise.

³⁴Come to my home each day
and listen to me.
    You will find happiness.
³⁵By finding me, you find life,
and the Lord will be pleased
    with you.
³⁶But if you don't find me,
    you hurt only yourself,
and if you hate me,
    you are in love with death.

Wisdom Gives a Feast

9 Wisdom has built her house
with its seven columns.
²She has prepared the meat
and set out the wine.
Her feast is ready.

³She has sent her servant women
to announce her invitation
    from the highest hills:
⁴“Everyone who is ignorant
    or foolish is invited!
⁵All of you are welcome
    to my meat and wine.
⁶If you want to live,
    give up your foolishness
and let understanding
    guide your steps.”

True Wisdom

⁷Correct a worthless bragger,
and all you will get
    are insults and injuries.
⁸Any bragger you correct
    will only hate you.
But if you correct someone
who has common sense,
    you will be loved.
⁹If you have good sense,
instruction will help you
    to have even better sense.
And if you live right,
education will help you
    to know even more.

¹⁰^(F) Respect and obey the Lord!
This is the beginning
    of wisdom.^[f]
To have understanding,
    you must know the Holy God.
¹¹I am Wisdom. If you follow me,
    you will live a long time.
¹²Good sense is good for you,
but if you brag,
    you hurt yourself.

A Foolish Invitation

¹³Stupidity^[g] is reckless,
    senseless, and foolish.
¹⁴She sits in front of her house
and on the highest hills
    in the town.
¹⁵She shouts to everyone
    who passes by,
¹⁶“If you are stupid,
    come on inside!”
And to every fool she says,
¹⁷    “Stolen water tastes best,
and the food you eat in secret
    tastes best of all.”
¹⁸None who listen to Stupidity
understand that her guests
    are as good as dead.

Footnotes

8.1 Wisdom: See the note at 1.20.
8.12 Wisdom: See the note at 1.20.
8.22 From the beginning … with the Lord: Or “In the very beginning, the Lord created me.”
8.23 gave life to: Or “formed.”
8.30 helping … build: Or “like his own child.”
9.10 the beginning of wisdom: Or “what wisdom is all about.”
9.13 Stupidity: Or “A foolish woman.”

2 Corinthians 3

Contemporary English Version

God's New Agreement

3 Are we once again bragging about ourselves? Do we need letters to you or from you to tell others about us? Some people do need letters telling about them. ²But you are our letter, and you are in our^[a] hearts for everyone to read and understand. ³^(A) You are like a letter written by Christ and delivered by us. But you are not written with pen and ink or on tablets made of stone. You are written in our hearts by the Spirit of the living God.

⁴We are sure about all this. Christ makes us sure in the very presence of God. ⁵We don't have the right to claim that we have done anything on our own. God gives us what it takes to do all we do. ⁶^(B) He makes us worthy to be the servants of his new agreement that comes from the Holy Spirit and not from a written Law. After all, the Law brings death, but the Spirit brings life.

⁷^(C) The Law of Moses brought only the promise of death, even though it was carved on stones and given in a wonderful way. Still the Law made Moses' face shine so brightly the people of Israel could not look at it, even though it was a fading glory. ⁸So won't the agreement the Spirit brings to us be even more wonderful? ⁹If something that brings the death sentence is glorious, won't something that makes us acceptable to God be even more glorious? ¹⁰In fact, the new agreement is so wonderful that the Law is no longer glorious at all. ¹¹The Law was given with a glory that faded away. But the glory of the new agreement is much greater, because it will never fade away.

¹²This wonderful hope makes us feel like speaking freely. ¹³^(D) We are not like Moses. His face was shining, but he covered it to keep the people of Israel from seeing the brightness fade away. ¹⁴The people were stubborn, and something still keeps them from seeing the truth when the Law is read. Only Christ can take away the covering that keeps them from seeing.

¹⁵When the Law of Moses is read, they have their minds covered over ¹⁶^(E) with a covering that is removed only for those who turn to the Lord. ¹⁷The Lord and the Spirit are one and the same, and the Lord's Spirit sets us free. ¹⁸^(F) So our faces are not covered. They show the bright glory of the Lord, as the Lord's Spirit makes us more and more like our glorious Lord.