Old/New Testament
Wisdom’s Invitation
8 Do you hear Wisdom calling out?
Do you hear Understanding raising her voice?
2 On the hills above the roads,
she takes her stand at the crossroads.
3 Beside the gates leading into the city,
at the entrance to the doorways, she cries out:
4 I call to you men,
and I raise my voice to the people.
5 You gullible people, get good judgment.[a]
You fools, take this to heart.
6 Listen, because I am speaking noble thoughts.
I open my lips to speak upright things,
7 for my mouth declares truth,
but wickedness is disgusting[b] to my lips.
8 All the words from my mouth are righteous.
There is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9 All of them are clear to those who have understanding,
and they are upright to those who find knowledge.
10 Accept my discipline instead of silver.
Accept knowledge rather than fine gold,
11 because Wisdom is better than gems,[c]
and anything you may desire cannot equal her.
Wisdom’s Benefit
12 I, Wisdom, dwell with good judgment.[d]
I discover knowledge and foresight.
13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.
I hate haughtiness, arrogance, an evil way, and a perverse mouth.
14 Good advice and sound judgment are mine.
I, Understanding, have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers administer justice.
16 By me officials govern,
as well as nobles and all just judges.
17 I certainly love those who love me,
and those who eagerly look for me find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
as well as enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, better than pure gold,
and what I produce is better than fine silver.
20 I walk on the path of righteousness,
down the middle of the pathways of justice,
21 so I can provide a rich inheritance to those who love me,
and I can fill their treasuries.
Wisdom Is the Craftsman of Creation
22 The Lord possessed[e] me at the beginning of his way,
before his works of long ago.
23 From eternity I was appointed,
from the beginning, from before the origin of the earth.
24 When there were no deep waters, I was brought forth,[f]
when there were no springs filled with water.
25 Before the mountains were settled in place,
before the hills, I was brought forth,
26 when he had not yet made land or fields
or the first dust of the world.
27 When he established the heavens, I was there.
When he drew the horizon around the surface of the deep,
28 when he placed the clouds in the sky above,
when the fountains of the deep gushed out,
29 when he established his decree for the sea,
so that the waters could not go beyond the limit set by his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
30 I was beside him as a master craftsman.
I was his joy day after day.
I rejoiced in his presence at all times.
31 I rejoiced in his inhabited world.
I was delighted with the children of Adam.[g]
Wisdom Is the Giver of Life
32 So now, you children, listen to me,
because those who keep my ways are blessed.
33 Listen to discipline and become wise.
Do not neglect it.
34 How blessed is the person who listens to me,
so that he can watch at my doors day after day,
so that he can stand guard beside my front door,
35 because whoever finds me finds life,
and he obtains favor from the Lord,
36 but whoever sins against me harms himself.
All who hate me love death.
Lady Wisdom’s Banquet
9 Wisdom has built her house.
She has carved out her seven pillars.
2 She has prepared her meat.
She has mixed her wine.
She has already set her table.
3 She has sent out her servant girls.
She calls from the highest point in the city,
4 “Whoever is naïve,[h] let him turn in here.”
To someone who lacks sense she says,
5 “Come, eat my food,
and drink the wine that I have mixed.
6 Abandon your naïve ways and live.
Travel the road to understanding.”
Lady Wisdom’s Proverbs
7 Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults,
and whoever warns a wicked person invites abuse.
8 Do not warn a mocker, or he will hate you.
Warn a wise person, and he will love you.
9 Give advice to a wise person, and he will become even wiser.
Teach a righteous person, and he will add to his learning.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning[i] of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding,
11 because through me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage.
But if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.
Lady Folly’s Banquet
13 The woman Folly is boisterous.
She is deluded. She knows nothing.
14 She sits at the doorway of her house,
on a throne on the heights of the city,
15 in order to call to those who pass by on the street,
those who are simply going along on their way,
16 “Whoever is gullible, let him turn in here.”
To someone who lacks sense she says,
17 “Stolen waters are sweet,
and food eaten in secret is delicious.”
18 But he does not know that the souls of the dead are there,
that her guests are in the depths of hell.[j]
3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3 It is clear that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.
4 Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. 5 Not that we are competent by ourselves to claim that anything comes from us; rather, our competence is from God. 6 He also made us competent as ministers of a new testament[a] (not of letter, but of spirit).[b] For the letter kills, but the spirit[c] gives life.
The Ministry of the Spirit
7 If the ministry that brought death (which was engraved in letters on stone) came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look directly at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face (though it was fading), 8 how will the ministry of the spirit[d] not be much more glorious? 9 For if the ministry that brought condemnation has glory, the ministry that brought righteousness has even more glory. 10 In fact, in this case, what was glorious is no longer very glorious, because of the greater glory of that which surpasses it. 11 Indeed, if what is fading away was glorious, how much more glorious is that which is permanent!
12 Therefore, since we have this kind of hope, we act with great boldness. 13 We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face, so that the Israelites could not continue to look at the end of the radiance, as it was fading away. 14 In spite of this, their minds were hardened. Yes, up to the present day, the same veil remains when the Old Testament is read. It has not been removed because it is taken away only in Christ. 15 Instead, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 But all of us who reflect the Lord’s glory with an unveiled face are being transformed into his own image, from one degree of glory to another. This too is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.