Proverbs 1–2; 1 Corinthians 16

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Proverbs 1–2

The Beginning of Knowledge

aThe proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

To know wisdom and instruction,

to understand words of insight,

to receive instruction in wise dealing,

in brighteousness, justice, and equity;

to give prudence to cthe simple,

knowledge and ddiscretion to the youth

Let the wise hear and eincrease in learning,

and the one who understands obtain guidance,

to understand a proverb and a saying,

fthe words of the wise and their griddles.

hThe fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;

fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The Enticement of Sinners

iHear, my son, your father’s instruction,

and forsake not your mother’s teaching,

for they are ja graceful garland for your head

and kpendants for your neck.

10  My son, if sinners lentice you,

do not consent.

11  If they say, Come with us, mlet us lie in wait for blood;

nlet us ambush the innocent without reason;

12  like Sheol let us oswallow them alive,

and whole, like pthose who go down to the pit;

13  we shall find all precious goods,

we shall fill our houses with plunder;

14  throw in your lot among us;

we will all have one purse

15  my son, qdo not walk in the way with them;

rhold back your foot from their paths,

16  for stheir feet run to evil,

and they make haste to shed blood.

17  tFor in vain is a net spread

in the sight of any bird,

18  but these men ulie in wait for their own blood;

they uset an ambush for their own lives.

19  vSuch are the ways of everyone who is wgreedy for unjust gain;

xit takes away the life of its possessors.

The Call of Wisdom

20  yWisdom cries aloud in the street,

in the markets she raises her voice;

21  at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;

at zthe entrance of the city gates she speaks:

22  How long, O asimple ones, will you love being simple?

How long will bscoffers delight in their scoffing

and fools chate knowledge?

23  If you turn at my reproof,1

behold, I will dpour out my spirit to you;

I will make my words known to you.

24  eBecause I have called and fyou refused to listen,

have gstretched out my hand and no one has heeded,

25  because you have hignored all my counsel

and iwould have none of my reproof,

26  I also jwill laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when kterror strikes you,

27  when terror strikes you like la storm

and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,

when distress and anguish come upon you.

28  mThen they will call upon me, but I will not answer;

they will seek me diligently but will not find me.

29  Because they chated knowledge

and ndid not choose the fear of the Lord,

30  hwould have none of my counsel

and idespised all my reproof,

31  therefore they shall eat othe fruit of their way,

and have ptheir fill of their own devices.

32  For the simple are killed by qtheir turning away,

and rthe complacency of fools destroys them;

33  but swhoever listens to me will dwell secure

and will be tat ease, without dread of disaster.

The Value of Wisdom

uMy son, vif you receive my words

and treasure up my commandments with you,

making your ear attentive to wisdom

and inclining your heart to understanding;

yes, if you call out for insight

and raise your voice wfor understanding,

if you seek it like xsilver

and search for it as for yhidden treasures,

then zyou will understand the fear of the Lord

and find the knowledge of God.

For athe Lord gives wisdom;

from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;

he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;

he is ba shield to those who cwalk in integrity,

guarding the paths of justice

and dwatching over the way of his esaints.

fThen you will understand grighteousness and justice

and equity, every good path;

10  for wisdom will come into your heart,

and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;

11  hdiscretion will iwatch over you,

understanding will guard you,

12  delivering you from the way of evil,

from men of perverted speech,

13  who forsake the paths of uprightness

to jwalk in the ways of darkness,

14  who krejoice in doing evil

and ldelight in the perverseness of evil,

15  men whose mpaths are crooked,

nand who are odevious in their ways.

16  So pyou will be delivered from the forbidden2 woman,

from qthe adulteress3 with rher smooth words,

17  who forsakes sthe companion of her youth

and forgets tthe covenant of her God;

18  ufor her house sinks down to death,

and her paths to the departed;4

19  none who go to her come back,

nor do they regain the paths of life.

20  So you will walk in the way of the good

and keep to the paths of the righteous.

21  For the upright vwill inhabit the land,

and those with integrity will remain in it,

22  but the wicked will be wcut off from the land,

and the treacherous will be xrooted out of it.


1 Corinthians 16

The Collection for the Saints

Now concerning1 ethe collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On fthe first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, gas he may prosper, hso that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send ithose whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

Plans for Travel

jI will visit you after passing through kMacedonia, for lI intend to pass through Macedonia, and perhaps I will stay with you or even spend the winter, so that you may mhelp me on my journey, wherever I go. For I do not want to see you now njust in passing. I hope to spend some time with you, oif the Lord permits. But I will stay in Ephesus until pPentecost, for qa wide door for effective work has opened to me, and rthere are many adversaries.

10 sWhen Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you, for the is doing uthe work of the Lord, as I am. 11 So vlet no one despise him. wHelp him on his way xin peace, that he may return to me, for I am expecting him with the brothers.

Final Instructions

12 Now concerning your brother Apollos, I strongly urged him to visit you with the other brothers, but it was not at all his will2 to come now. He will come when he has opportunity.

13 zBe watchful, astand firm in the faith, bact like men, cbe strong. 14 dLet all that you do be done in love.

15 Now I urge you, brothers3you know that ethe household4 of Stephanas were fthe first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves gto the service of the saints 16 hbe subject to such as these, and to every fellow worker and laborer. 17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have made up for iyour absence, 18 for they jrefreshed my spirit as well as yours. kGive recognition to such people.

Greetings

19 The churches of Asia send you greetings. lAquila and Prisca, together with mthe church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord. 20 All the brothers send you greetings. nGreet one another with a holy kiss.

21 I, Paul, write othis greeting with my own hand. 22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be paccursed. Our Lord, come!5 23 qThe grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.