Wisdom of Sirach 12
Showing Kindness
1 If you show kindness, know to whom you show it, And you shall be thanked for your good deeds.†
2 Do good to a godly man, and you will be repaid— If not by him, then certainly by the Most High.
3 There shall be no good things for him who continues in evil things, Or for him who does not give alms cheerfully.
4 Give to a godly man, but do not help the sinner.†
5 Do good to a humble man, but do not give to an ungodly man. Hold back his bread and do not give it to him, Lest by it he lord it over you. For you will receive twice as much evil coming back For all the good you did for him.
6 For the Most High also hates sinners And will render punishment on the ungodly.
Never Trust an Enemy
7 Give to the good man, but do not help the sinner.†
8 A friend will not be revealed when you are prosperous, Nor will an enemy hide himself when you are in adversity.
9 When a man prospers, his enemies are grieved, But when he is in adversity, even a friend will separate himself.
10 Never trust your enemy, For as copper becomes rusty, so is his evil.
11 Even if he acts humble and goes about with a humble posture, Watch yourself, and be on your guard. Then you shall be to him like him who wipes off a mirror, And you will know that it is not corroded continually.
12 Do not let him stand by your side, Lest he overthrow you and take your place. Do not seat him on your right, Lest he seek your seat of honor. Then at last you will know the truth of my words, And because of my words you will be pierced with sorrow.
13 Who will pity a snake charmer when he is bitten, Or those who go near wild animals?
14 So no one will pity one who approaches a sinful man And gets involved in his sins.
15 He will stay with you for a while, But if you turn aside from him, he will not put up with you.
16 An enemy speaks sweetly with his lips, But in his heart he will plan to throw you into a pit. An enemy will shed tears, but if he finds an opportunity, He will not be satisfied apart from shedding your blood.
17 If evil comes upon you, You will find your enemy there ahead of you, And as he pretends to help you, He will pull your feet from under you.
18 He will shake his head and applaud with his hands; And he will whisper many things and alter his expression.
Psalms 19
1 For the End; a psalm by David. †
2 May the Lord hear you in the day of affliction; May the name of the God of Jacob defend you.
3 May He send you help from His holy place, And may He support you from Zion.
4 May He remember every sacrifice of yours, And may your whole burnt offering be honored. (Pause)
5 May He give you according to your heart, May He fulfill all your counsel.
6 We will greatly rejoice in Your salvation, And in the name of our God we will be magnified.
7 Now I know the Lord has saved His anointed; He will hear him from His holy heaven; The salvation of His right hand is mighty.
8 Some glory in chariots, some in horses, But in the name of the Lord our God we shall be magnified.
9 Their feet were tied together; so they fell; But we rose up and were restored.
10 O Lord, save Your King, And hear us in the day we call upon You.
Proverbs of Solomon 3
28 And do not be afraid of intimidation when it comes upon you, Nor of the attack of the ungodly when it comes at you;
29 For the Lord will be over all your ways, And He will plant your feet firmly, that you may not be shaken.
30 Do not withhold doing good to the needy, When you may give a helping hand;
31 Do not say, when you are able to do good, “Come back tomorrow, and I will give you something”; For you do not know what the next day will bring forth.
32 Do not devise evil things against your friend Who dwells beside you and trusts in you.
Acts 20
17 From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.†
18 And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,
19 serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews;†
20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,
21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there,
23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.
24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
25 “And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more.
26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. †
27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.†
29 For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.†
30 Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31 Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33 I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.†
34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,
38 sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.