Wisdom of Solomon 12
1 For Your immortal Spirit is in all things.
2 For this reason You correct little by little those who fall away, And You remind and warn them of the sins they commit So they may be freed from evil and believe in You, O Lord.†
The Canaanites’ Vice
3 For You hated the inhabitants of Your holy land long ago,†
4 Because they practiced very hateful works of sorcery and unholy rites.
5 These unmerciful murderers of children Who ate sacrificial meals of human flesh and blood, These initiates in the midst of an orgy,
6 These parents and murderers of helpless children— You willed to destroy by the hands of our fathers,
7 That the land most precious of all to You Might be a worthy colony of the servants of God.
8 But even these You spared, since they were men, And sent wasps as forerunners of Your army That You might destroy them little by little.
9 You were not powerless to give the ungodly To the righteous in regular battle, Or to destroy them by terrible wild beasts Or by one severe word;
10 But judging them little by little You gave them a chance for repentance, For You were not unaware that their generation was evil, Their vice implanted, And their reasoning would not change forever.
11 For they were an accursed seed from the beginning, Nor did You give them amnesty for their sins Because You feared anyone.
God Our King
12 For who will say, “What have You done?” Or who will oppose Your judgment? Who will bring a charge against You For destroying the nations You made? Or who will stand before You To plead as an advocate for unrighteous men?†
13 For neither is there any god except You, Whose care is for all things, So You may show that You do not judge unjustly;
14 Nor can any king or tyrant meet You face to face Concerning those You punish.
15 You are righteous and order all things uprightly, And You consider it alien to Your power To pass sentence on him who should not be punished.
16 For Your strength is the origin of righteousness, And it causes You who are the Lord of all to spare all.
17 For to him who disbelieves the perfection of Your power, You show forth Your strength And rebuke the insolence among those who know it.
18 But You who gain the mastery by Your strength Judge with gentleness, For You govern us with great forbearance; And power is present with You to use when You will it.
God Chastens His Children
19 Through such works You taught Your people That the righteous man should love mankind; And You made Your children hopeful By offering them repentance over their sins.†
20 For if You punished the enemies of Your children And those liable to death with so much attention and deliberation, And granted them time and opportunity to depart from their evil,
21 With how much strictness did You judge Your children, To whose fathers You gave oaths and covenants of good promises?
22 So then You chastened us, But our enemies with ten thousand whips, That we may care about Your goodness when we judge But expect Your mercy when we are judged.†
The Egyptians Were Judged
23 Therefore those who lived unjustly in their foolishness of life You tormented by means of their own abominations.†
24 For they went far astray on the paths of error, Taking up gods which were despised even among their enemies, Being deceived after the manner of foolish children.
25 Therefore to those thoughtless children You sent Your judgment to mock them;
26 But those who were not warned by this light gesture of censure Will be put to the test by the deserved judgment of God.
27 For when they suffered, they were indignant At those they imagined to be gods, Realizing they were being punished because of them. They also came to recognize the true God Whom they refused to know long ago; Therefore, the utmost of condemnation came upon them.
Psalms 148
1 Alleluia; of Aggeus and Zacharias. †Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the highest.
2 Praise Him, all you His angels; Praise Him, all you His hosts.
3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars and light.
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the Lord’s name, For He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, and they were created.
6 He established them forever and unto ages of ages; He set forth His ordinance, and it shall not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, You dragons and all the deeps,
8 Fire and hail, snow and ice, Stormy wind, which perform His word,
9 Mountains and all the hills, Fruitful trees and all cedars,
10 Wild animals and all cattle, Creeping things and flying birds,
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples, Princes and all judges of the earth,
12 Young men and maidens, Elders with younger,
13 Let them praise the Lord’s name, For His name alone is exalted; His thanksgiving is in earth and heaven.
14 And He shall exalt the horn of His people, A hymn for all His saints, For the children of Israel, a people who draw near to Him.
Proverbs of Solomon 31
16 Strongly girding her loins, She strengthens her arms for work.
17 She experiences work as a good thing, And her lamp is not quenched all night.
18 She extends her arms to do profitable things, And she applies her hands to the spindle.
19 She opens her hands to the poor And reaches out with her fruit to the needy.
20 Her husband is not anxious about those at home When he spends a long time elsewhere, For all her household are clothed.
Acts 9
Saul Converted
1 Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest†
2 and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.
3 As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.
4 Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”†
5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”†
6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one.
8 Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.†
9 And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.”
11 So the Lord said to him, “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.†
12 And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.”
13 Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem.†
14 And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.”
15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel.†
16 For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
17 And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
18 Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized.†