Old/New Testament
To Know Wisdom
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know (C)wisdom and discipline,
To understand the sayings of (D)understanding,
3 To (E)receive discipline [a]that leads to insight,
(F)Righteousness, justice, and equity,
4 To give (G)prudence to the [b](H)simple,
To the youth (I)knowledge and discretion;
5 Let the wise man hear and (J)increase in learning,
And a (K)man of understanding will acquire guidance,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their (L)riddles.
7 (M)The fear of [c]Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge;
[d]Ignorant fools despise wisdom and discipline.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (N)Hear, my son, your father’s discipline
And (O)do not abandon your mother’s [e]instruction;
9 For they are a (P)garland of grace for your head
And [f](Q)ornaments about your neck.
10 My son, if sinners (R)entice you,
(S)Do not be willing.
11 If they say, “Come with us,
Let us (T)lie in wait for blood,
Let us (U)ambush the innocent without cause;
12 Let us (V)swallow them alive like Sheol,
And whole, as those who (W)go down to the pit;
13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth,
We will fill our houses with spoil;
14 Cast in your lot [g]with us,
We shall all have one purse,”
15 My son, (X)do not walk in the way with them.
(Y)Withhold your feet from their pathway,
16 For (Z)their feet run to evil
And they hasten to shed blood.
17 For it is [h]no use that a net is spread
In the sight of any [i]bird;
18 But they (AA)lie in wait for their own blood;
They ambush their own [j]lives.
19 So are the paths of everyone who is (AB)greedy for gain;
It takes away the [k]life of its possessors.
The Call of Wisdom
20 (AC)Wisdom shouts in the street,
She gives forth her voice in the square;
21 At the head of the noisy streets she calls out;
At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings:
22 “How long, O (AD)simple ones, will you love simplicity?
And (AE)scoffers delight in scoffing
And [l]fools (AF)hate knowledge?
23 Turn to my reproof,
Behold, I will (AG)pour out my spirit on you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 Because (AH)I called and you (AI)refused,
I (AJ)stretched out my hand and no one paid attention;
25 And you (AK)neglected all my counsel
And were not (AL)willing to accept my reproof;
26 I will also (AM)laugh at your (AN)disaster;
I will mock when your (AO)dread comes,
27 When your dread comes like a storm
And your disaster comes like a (AP)whirlwind,
When distress and anguish come upon you.
28 Then they will (AQ)call on me, but I will not answer;
They will (AR)seek me earnestly but they will not find me,
29 Because they (AS)hated knowledge
And did not choose the fear of Yahweh.
30 They (AT)were not willing to accept my counsel,
They spurned all my reproof.
31 So they shall (AU)eat of the fruit of their way
And be (AV)satisfied with their own devices.
32 For the (AW)turning away of the simple will kill them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them.
33 But (AX)he who listens to me shall dwell securely
And will be at ease from the dread of evil.”
Yahweh Gives Wisdom
2 My son, if you will (AY)receive my words
And (AZ)treasure my commandments within you,
2 (BA)To make your ear pay attention to wisdom,
Incline your heart to discernment;
3 For if you call out for understanding,
Give your voice for discernment;
4 If you seek her as (BB)silver
And search for her as for (BC)hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the (BD)fear of Yahweh
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For (BE)Yahweh gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and discernment.
7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright,
A (BF)shield to those who walk in integrity,
8 To guard the paths of justice,
And He (BG)keeps the way of His holy ones.
9 Then you will understand (BH)righteousness and justice
And equity—every (BI)good track.
10 For (BJ)wisdom will enter your heart
And (BK)knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 Discretion will (BL)keep you,
Discernment will guard you,
12 To (BM)deliver you from the way of evil,
From the man who speaks (BN)perverse things;
13 From those who (BO)forsake the paths of uprightness
To walk in the (BP)ways of darkness;
14 Who are (BQ)glad to do evil
And they rejoice in the perversity of evil;
15 Whose paths are (BR)crooked,
And who are devious in their tracks;
16 To deliver you from the [m](BS)strange woman,
From the [n](BT)foreign woman who flatters with her words;
17 Who forsakes the close (BU)companion of her youth
And forgets the (BV)covenant of her God;
18 For (BW)her house [o]sinks down to death
And her tracks descend to the [p]dead;
19 All (BX)who go to her will not return,
And they will not reach the (BY)paths of life.
20 So that you will (BZ)walk in the way of good men
And keep to the (CA)paths of the righteous.
21 For (CB)the upright will dwell in the land
And (CC)the blameless will remain in it;
22 But (CD)the wicked will be cut off from the land
And (CE)the treacherous will be (CF)torn away from it.
The Collection of Gifts
16 Now concerning (A)the collection for (B)the saints, as (C)I directed the churches of (D)Galatia, so do you also. 2 On (E)the first day of every week each one of you is to [a]set something aside, saving whatever he has prospered, so that (F)no collections be made when I come. 3 And when I arrive, (G)whomever you may approve, I will send them with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem, 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.
5 But I (H)will come to you after I go through (I)Macedonia, for I (J)am going through Macedonia; 6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter, so that you may (K)send me on my way wherever I may go. 7 For I do not wish to see you now (L)just in passing, for I hope to remain with you for some time, (M)if the Lord permits. 8 But I will remain in (N)Ephesus until (O)Pentecost, 9 for a (P)wide and effective door has opened to me, and (Q)there are many adversaries.
10 Now if (R)Timothy comes, take care that he is with you without fear, for he is doing (S)the Lord’s work, as I also am. 11 (T)So let no one despise him. But (U)send him on his way (V)in peace, so that he may come to me, for I expect him with the brothers.
12 Now concerning (W)Apollos our brother, I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brothers, and it was not at all his desire to come now, but he will come when he has opportunity.
Final Instructions and Greetings
13 (X)Be watchful, (Y)stand firm in the faith, (Z)act like men, (AA)be strong. 14 Let all that you do be done (AB)in love.
15 Now I exhort you, brothers (you know the (AC)household of Stephanas, that [b]they were the (AD)first fruits of (AE)Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for (AF)service to (AG)the saints), 16 that (AH)you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors. 17 And I rejoice over the [c](AI)coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have [d]supplied (AJ)what was lacking on your part. 18 For they (AK)have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore (AL)recognize such men.
19 The churches of (AM)Asia greet you. (AN)Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with (AO)the church that is in their house. 20 All the brothers greet you. (AP)Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21 The greeting is in (AQ)my own hand—[e]Paul. 22 If anyone does not love the Lord, he is to be [f](AR)accursed. [g](AS)Maranatha. 23 (AT)The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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