Old/New Testament
Preface of the Redactor[a]
Chapter 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon,[b] the son of David king of Israel:
2 Designed to enable people to appreciate wisdom[c] and discipline
and to comprehend words that foster insight,
3 to acquire instruction in upright conduct,
righteousness, justice, and honesty,
4 so that prudence[d] may be imparted to the simple,
and the young may gain knowledge and discretion.
5 By listening to them the wise will add to their learning,
and those gifted with discernment will increase their ability
6 to perceive the meaning of proverbs and obscure sayings,
the words of the sages and their riddles.
7 The fear of the Lord[e] is the beginning of knowledge;
fools are those who despise wisdom and instruction.
8 Give heed, my son,[f] to your father’s instruction,
and do not reject your mother’s teaching.
9 They will be a crown of grace for your head
and a pendant of honor for your neck.
Prologue: Invitation to Wisdom[g]
If Sinners Try To Entice You . . .[h]
10 My son, if sinners try to entice you,
refuse to join them.
11 They may say, “Come and join us
as we lie in ambush to shed someone’s blood;
let us waylay some innocent man;
12 like the netherworld we can swallow him alive,
in his prime like those who go down to the pit.
13 We will discover riches of every sort[i]
with which we can fill our houses;
14 so throw in your lot with us
and share in the common purse.”
15 My son, do not accompany them!
Do not allow your feet to follow their path!
16 For their feet are rushing headlong to evil;
they are hastening to shed blood.[j]
17 It is useless to spread a net
if the bird is watching.[k]
18 These men lie in wait for their own blood
and set an ambush against themselves.
19 Such is the fate of all who seek ill-gotten gain;
such greed takes away the life of those who acquire it.
Wisdom Cries Out Her Message in the Street[l]
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
she raises her voice in the public squares.
21 She calls out on the crowded street corners;
at the city gates she proclaims her message:
22 “How long will you simple people continue to be fools?
How long will you mockers[m] delight in your mocking?
How long will you fools continue to hate knowledge?
23 If you would seriously consider my reproof,
I would pour out my thoughts to you
and make my precepts known to you.
24 “However, because you refused to listen to my call,
because no one heeded when I stretched out my hand,
25 and because you rejected all my counsel
and ignored all my warnings,
26 [n]I in my turn will laugh at your distress
and mock you when panic overwhelms you,
27 when terror suddenly strikes you like a hurricane
and your doom approaches like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 “Then they will cry out to me but I will not answer;
they will search for me, but not find me.[o]
29 For they hated knowledge
and chose not to fear the Lord.[p]
30 They refused to accept my advice
and spurned all my warnings.
31 “Now they must eat the fruits of their conduct
and be glutted with the results of their schemes.[q]
32 For the stubbornness of the simple kills them;
fools come to final ruin by their own complacency.
33 But whoever listens to me will be secure
and live in peace, without fear of disaster.”
Chapter 2
Wisdom Will Enter into Your Heart[r]
1 My son, if you take my words to heart
and look upon my instructions as a treasure,
2 attuning your ear to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding,
3 if you cry out for the gift of discernment[s]
and plead for understanding,
4 if you seek for it as for silver
and search for it as for buried treasure,
5 then you will understand the fear of the Lord[t]
and discover the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord himself is the one who bestows wisdom;
from his mouth come forth knowledge and understanding.
7 He reserves his wisdom for the upright
and is a shield to those who lead blameless lives,
8 for he guards the paths of justice
and keeps watch over the way of his faithful ones.
9 Then you will understand equity and justice
as well as righteousness—every good path.
10 For wisdom will enter your heart
and knowledge will delight your soul.[u]
11 Prudence will protect you,
and understanding will watch over you.
12 Thus, you will be preserved from the ways of evil
and from those whose speech is perverse,[v]
13 who stray far from the straight paths[w]
to walk along roads of darkness,
14 who take pleasure in doing evil
and delight in leading perverse lives,
15 whose paths are crooked
and whose ways are devious.
16 You will be saved from the wife of another,
from the adulteress[x] with her seductive words,
17 who forsakes the partner of her youth
and forgets her sacred covenant with God.
18 For her house leads downward to death[y]
and her paths descend to the shades.
19 Anyone who goes to her never returns
or regains the paths of life.
20 Take care, then, that you follow the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright will live in the land,[z]
and those who are innocent will remain there.
22 However, the wicked will be cut off from the land,
and those who are faithless will be uprooted from it.
VIII: Final Recommendations and Greetings[a]
Chapter 16
The Collection. 1 Now in regard to the collection for the saints,[b] you should follow the instructions I gave to the churches of Galatia. 2 On the first day of every week,[c] each of you should set aside and save whatever you can spare, so that when I come to you, no collections will have to be taken. 3 And when I arrive, I shall send those who have been approved by you with letters of recommendation to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should also go, they will accompany me.
Paul’s Plans. 5 I shall come to visit you after passing through Macedonia—for I am going to pass through Macedonia. 6 I may stay for some time with you, perhaps even for the entire winter, and then you can send me forth on my journey, wherever I may be going. 7 I do not want to see you now in passing. If the Lord permits, I hope to spend some time with you. 8 However, I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost, 9 because a wide door for productive work has been opened for me, although there are also many adversaries to face.
10 News of Other Missionaries. If Timothy comes, put him at ease, for he is doing the work of the Lord just as I am. 11 Therefore, let no one treat him with disdain. Rather, send him on his way in peace when he leaves you to come to me, for the brethren and I are expecting him.
12 As for our brother Apollos, I urged him strongly to visit you with the others, but he was determined not to go at this particular time. He will come to you when he has the opportunity.
13 Keep alert; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14 Everything that you do should be done in love.
15 As you know, brethren, the members of the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. 16 I urge you to put yourselves at the service of such people and of all those who work and toil with them.
17 I was delighted at the arrival of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for your absence. 18 For they have raised my spirits as well as yours. Such men deserve recognition.
19 Salutations and Best Wishes. The Churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca greet you warmly in the Lord, together with the Church that meets in their house. 20 All the brethren send their greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 I, Paul, have written this greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be accursed.[d] O Lord, come! 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love to you all in Christ Jesus.
Copyright © 2019 by Catholic Book Publishing Corp. All rights reserved.