Wisdom of Sirach 11
1 The wisdom of a humble man will exalt his head, And he will take his seat among the great.
Outward Appearances
2 Do not praise a man for his good looks, And do not detest one because of his appearance.†
3 The bee is small among winged creatures, But her fruit is first among sweet things.
4 Do not boast about your fine clothes, Nor magnify yourself in the day you are honored; Because the works of the Lord are wondrous, And His works are hidden from men.
5 Many tyrants have sat on the ground, But one never thought of has worn a crown.
6 Many rulers have suffered exceeding disgrace, And honored men have been betrayed into the hands of others.
Slow Down!
7 Do not find fault before you examine a situation. First, understand it, and then make your judgment.
8 Do not answer before you have listened, And do not interrupt someone while he is talking.
9 Do not argue about a matter that does not concern you, And do not sit together with sinners when they judge a case.
10 My son, do not let your business involve too many things. If you multiply them, you will not remain unpunished, And if you pursue them, you will not overtake them; And you will not escape by running away.†
11 There is a man who works and works And keeps on working, but is in much more poverty.
12 There is another who is sluggish and in need of help; And he lacks strength and abounds in poverty. But the eyes of the Lord look upon him for his good And restores his well-being from his humble state.
13 He raises up his head, And many are amazed at this.
Handling Riches
14 Good and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth— These are from the Lord.
15 The gift of the Lord remains with the godly, And His approval brings prosperity forever.
16 There is a man who grows rich Because of his attention and restraint; And this is the portion of his reward:†
17 When he says, “I have found rest, And now I will partake of my good things.” Yet he does not know how much time will pass until he will die And leave them behind to others.
18 Stand by your covenant and attend to it, And grow old in your work.
19 Do not be amazed at the works of a sinner, But trust in the Lord and remain at your work; Because it is easy in the sight of the Lord To make a poor man rich quickly and unexpectedly.
20 The blessing of the Lord is in the reward of a godly man, And in an instant He makes his blessings flourish.
21 Do not say, “What do I need, And what good things will be mine in the future?”
22 Do not say, “I am independent. From now on, what will harm me?”†
23 In the day of good things, There is forgetfulness of bad things, And in the day of bad things, There is no remembrance of good things.
24 For it is easy in the judgment of the Lord To reward a man on the day of his death according to his ways.†
25 The ill-treatment of an hour makes one forget luxury, And at the end of a man’s life, There shall be a revelation of his works.
26 Consider no man happy before his death, And a man will be known in his children.
Beware of Evildoers
27 Do not bring every man into your home, For the plots of the deceitful are many.
28 The heart of an arrogant man is like a decoy partridge in a cage, And like a spy he watches for your fall.
29 For he lies in wait and turns good into evil, And he will attach blame to the good one chooses.
30 From a spark of fire a charcoal fire is kindled, And a sinful man lies in wait for bloodshed.
31 Beware of an evildoer and his schemes, Lest he bring lasting blame upon you.
32 Receive a stranger into your home And he will upset you with troubles, And alienate your family from you.
Psalms 18
1 For the End; a psalm by David. †
2 The heavens declare the glory of God; The firmament shows the creation of His hands.
3 Day to day utters speech, And night to night reveals knowledge.
4 There is no speech nor language Where their voices are not heard.
5 Their proclamation went forth into all the earth, And their words to the ends of the world. In the sun He set His tabernacle;
6 And it rejoices exceedingly Like a bridegroom coming forth from his bridal chamber, Like a strong man to run a race.
7 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit runs to the other end; And nothing shall be hidden from its heat.
8 The law of the Lord is blameless, converting souls; The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making children wise;
9 The ordinances of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes;
10 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring unto ages of ages; The judgments of the Lord are true, being altogether just.
11 More to be desired are they than gold and a very precious stone, Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
12 For indeed Your servant keeps them; In keeping them there is great reward.
13 Who will understand his transgressions? Cleanse me from hidden sins,
14 And spare your servant from unnatural sins; If they have no dominion over me, then I shall be blameless, And I shall be cleansed from great sin.
15 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be always pleasing before You, O Lord, my helper and my redeemer.
Proverbs of Solomon 3
The Cure for Carelessness
23 My son, do not be careless, But keep my counsel and thinking,†
24 That your soul may live, And grace may be around your neck.
25 And there will be healing for your flesh And care for your bones,
26 That you may walk confidently in peace in all your ways, And your foot may not stumble.
27 For if you sit down, you will be without fear, And if you lie down, your sleep will be pleasant.
Acts 20
Return Visit to Greece
1 After the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia.
2 Now when he had gone over that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to Greece
3 and stayed three months. And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
4 And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia—also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.†
5 These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.†
6 But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
Back in Asia: Eutychus Raised
7 Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.†
8 There were many lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.
9 And in a window sat a certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.†
10 But Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, “Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him.”†
11 Now when he had come up, had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he departed.
12 And they brought the young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.
Paul’s Farewell Address
13 Then we went ahead to the ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot.
14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.
15 We sailed from there, and the next day came opposite Chios. The following day we arrived at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium. The next day we came to Miletus.
16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the Day of Pentecost.