Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the (A)bars of your gates;
He has (B)blessed your sons within you.
14 He (C)makes [a]peace in your borders;
He (D)satisfies you with (E)the [b]finest of the wheat.
15 He sends forth His (F)command to the earth;
His (G)word runs very swiftly.
16 He gives (H)snow like wool;
He scatters the (I)frost like ashes.
17 He casts forth His (J)ice as fragments;
Who can stand before His (K)cold?
18 He (L)sends forth His word and melts them;
He (M)causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
19 He (N)declares His words to Jacob,
His (O)statutes and His ordinances to Israel.
20 He (P)has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His ordinances, they have (Q)not known them.
[c]Praise [d]the Lord!
The Usefulness of Proverbs
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon (B)the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know (C)wisdom and instruction,
To discern the sayings of (D)understanding,
3 To (E)receive instruction in wise behavior,
(F)Righteousness, justice and equity;
4 To give (G)prudence to the [a]naive,
To the youth (H)knowledge and discretion,
5 A wise man will hear and (I)increase in learning,
And a (J)man of understanding will acquire wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and a figure,
The words of the wise and their (K)riddles.
7 (L)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Wisdom from Above
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? (A)Let him show by his (B)good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter (C)jealousy and [a]selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against (D)the truth. 15 This wisdom is not that which comes down (E)from above, but is (F)earthly, [b](G)natural, (H)demonic. 16 For where (I)jealousy and [c]selfish ambition exist, [d]there is disorder and every evil thing. 17 But the wisdom (J)from above is first (K)pure, then (L)peaceable, (M)gentle, [e]reasonable, (N)full of mercy and good fruits, (O)unwavering, without (P)hypocrisy. 18 And the [f](Q)seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace [g]by those who make peace.
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