Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

The 3rd Hallelujah Psalm^[a]

Two women^[a]

9 The woman who is called ‘Wisdom’ has built her house with seven pillars to make it strong.

² She has killed an animal for a big meal. She has mixed her wine. She has also prepared her table. ³ She has sent her servants to shout a message from the highest places in the town.

⁴ She says to foolish people, ‘Come here to me.’

She says to people who do not understand what is right, ⁵ ‘Come here and eat my food. Drink the wine that I have mixed. ⁶ Leave foolish ways so that you may live. Learn to understand what is right, so that you can do it.’

⁷ If you warn a person who is proud, he will insult you. If you tell a wicked person that he is wrong, he will hurt you. ⁸ So do not warn proud people. They will only hate you.

But if you warn a wise person, he will love you. ⁹ If you teach a wise person, he will become even more wise. If you teach a righteous person, he will learn whatever you tell him.

¹⁰ If you want to be wise in the way that you live, first you must respect the Lord with fear. If you know God, the Holy One, you will understand what is right.

¹¹ Wisdom will add more days and years to your life.

¹² If you are wise, it will help you in many ways. But if you think that you do not need wisdom, you will bring trouble on yourself.

⁸ My friends, here is one thing that you must remember. In the Lord God's mind, one day and 1,000 years are the same. For him, 1,000 years is like a single day. ⁹ The Lord is not being slow to do what he has promised to do. Some people may think that he is being slow to do it. But he is being patient with you. He does not want to destroy anyone. He wants all people to turn away from the wrong things that they do.

¹⁰ The great day of the Lord will suddenly happen. That will surprise people, like when someone comes to rob them. There will be a very loud noise in the sky. The whole sky will go away. Fire will burn the whole universe and it will destroy everything. The earth and everything that people have made will then become clear.^[a]

¹¹ Certainly, God will destroy everything in this way one day. So think about how you should live now. You should be the kind of people that God is happy about. You should show that you belong to God. ¹² Yes, you should continue to obey God while you are waiting for Christ to return. God has chosen that day. Try to live in a way that will make that day come soon. On that day, fire will burn the whole sky. The sky will no longer be there. Heat will destroy the universe. ¹³ But God has promised to make a new sky and a new earth. That is what we are waiting for. That will be a home for everything that is good and right.^[b]