Old/New Testament

Praising Wisdom

8 Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice? ² She takes her stand on the top of the hill beside the way, where the paths meet. ³ Beside the gates in front of the town, at the open doors, she cries out, ⁴ “I call to you, O men. My voice is to the sons of men. ⁵ O child-like ones, learn to use wisdom. O fools, make your mind understand. ⁶ Listen, for I will speak great things. What is right will come from my lips. ⁷ For my mouth will speak the truth. My lips hate wrong-doing. ⁸ All the words of my mouth are right and good. There is nothing in them that is against the truth. ⁹ They are all clear to him who understands, and right to those who find much learning. ¹⁰ Take my teaching instead of silver. Take much learning instead of fine gold. ¹¹ For wisdom is better than stones of great worth. All that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹² “I, wisdom, live with understanding, and I find much learning and careful thinking. ¹³ The fear of the Lord is to hate what is sinful. I hate pride, self-love, the way of sin, and lies. ¹⁴ I have teaching and wisdom. I have understanding and power. ¹⁵ By me kings rule and rulers make laws that are fair. ¹⁶ By me rulers rule, and all the princes rule on the earth. ¹⁷ I love those who love me, and those who look for me with much desire will find me. ¹⁸ Riches and honor are mine, lasting riches and being right with God. ¹⁹ My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold. What I give is better than fine silver. ²⁰ I walk in the way that is right with God, in the center of the ways that are fair. ²¹ I give riches to those who love me, and fill their store-houses.

²² “The Lord made me at the beginning of His work, before His first works long ago. ²³ I was set apart long ago, from the beginning, before the earth was. ²⁴ I was born when there were no seas, when there were no pools full of water. ²⁵ I was born before the mountains and hills were in their places. ²⁶ It was before He had made the earth or the fields, or the first dust of the world. ²⁷ I was there when He made the heavens, and when He drew a mark around the top of the sea. ²⁸ I was there when He put the skies above, and when He put the wells of the waters in their place. ²⁹ I was there when He marked out the places for the sea, so that the waters would not go farther than what He said. I was there when He marked out the ground for the earth. ³⁰ I was beside Him as the leading workman. I was His joy every day. I was always happy when I was near Him. ³¹ I was happy in the world, His earth, and found joy in the sons of men.

³² “So now, O sons, listen to me, for happy are they who keep my ways. ³³ Hear my teaching and be wise. Do not turn away from it. ³⁴ Happy is the man who listens to me, watching every day at my gates, waiting beside my doors. ³⁵ For he who finds me finds life, and gets favor from the Lord. ³⁶ But he who misses me hurts himself. All those who hate me love death.”

Wisdom—or the Way to Hell

9 Wisdom has built her house. She has made seven pillars to hold it up. ² She has cooked her food, and has mixed her wine, and she has set her table. ³ She has sent out the young women who work for her. She calls from the highest places of the city, ⁴ “Whoever is easy to fool, let him turn in here!” She says to the one without understanding, ⁵ “Come and eat my food, and drink the wine I have mixed. ⁶ Turn from your foolish way, and live. Walk in the way of understanding.”

⁷ He who speaks strong words to the man who laughs at the truth brings shame upon himself. He who speaks strong words to a sinful man gets hurt. ⁸ Do not speak strong words to a man who laughs at the truth, or he will hate you. Speak strong words to a wise man, and he will love you. ⁹ Give teaching to a wise man and he will be even wiser. Teach a man who is right and good, and he will grow in learning. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To learn about the Holy One is understanding. ¹¹ For by me your days will grow in number, and years will be added to your life. ¹² If you are wise, your wisdom is a help to you. If you laugh at the truth, you alone will suffer for it.

¹³ A foolish woman makes much noise. She is open to sin, and knows nothing. ¹⁴ She sits at the door of her house or on a seat in the high places of the city. ¹⁵ She calls to those who pass by and are making their paths straight, ¹⁶ “Whoever is easy to fool, let him turn in here!” She says to the one without understanding, ¹⁷ “Stolen water is sweet. And bread eaten in secret is pleasing.” ¹⁸ But he does not know that the dead are there, and that the ones who visit her are in the bottom of hell.

The Old and the New Way

3 Are we making it sound as if we think we are so important? Other people write letters about themselves. Do we need to write such a letter to you? ² You are our letter. You are written in our hearts. You are known and read by all men. ³ You are as a letter from Christ written by us. You are not written as other letters are written with ink, or on pieces of stone. You are written in human hearts by the Spirit of the living God. ⁴ We can say these things because of our faith in God through Christ. ⁵ We know we are not able in ourselves to do any of this work. God makes us able to do these things. ⁶ God is the One Who made us preachers of a New Way of Worship. This New Way of Worship is not of the Law. It is of the Holy Spirit. The Law brings death, but the Holy Spirit gives life.

⁷ The Law of Moses was written on stone and it brought death. But God’s shining-greatness was seen when it was given. When Moses took it to the Jews, they could not look at his face because of the bright light. But that bright light in his face began to pass away. ⁸ The new way of life through the Holy Spirit comes with much more shining-greatness. ⁹ If the Law of Moses, that leads to death, came in shining-greatness, how much greater and brighter is the light that makes us right with God? ¹⁰ The Law of Moses came with shining-greatness long ago. But that light is no longer bright. The shining-greatness of the New Way of Worship that brings us life is so much brighter. ¹¹ The shining light that came with the Law of Moses soon passed away. But the new way of life is much brighter. It will never pass away.

¹² We speak without fear because our trust is in Christ. ¹³ We are not like Moses. He put a covering over his face so the Jews would not see that the bright light was passing away. ¹⁴ Their minds were not able to understand. Even to this day when the Law is read, there is a covering over their minds. They do not see that Christ is the only One Who can take the covering away. ¹⁵ Yes, to this day, there is a covering over their hearts whenever the Law of Moses is read. ¹⁶ But whenever a man turns to the Lord, the covering is taken away. ¹⁷ The heart is free where the Spirit of the Lord is. The Lord is the Spirit. ¹⁸ All of us, with no covering on our faces, show the shining-greatness of the Lord as in a mirror. All the time we are being changed to look like Him, with more and more of His shining-greatness. This change is from the Lord Who is the Spirit.