Wisdom of Sirach 13
Choosing Colleagues
1 Whoever touches pitch will be stained, And whoever associates with an arrogant man will become like him.
2 Do not lift a weight too heavy for you, Nor associate with a man stronger and richer than you. What does a clay pot have in common with a copper kettle? For the clay pot will strike against the kettle and will itself be broken.
3 A rich man does wrong and even proves himself to be the one wronged. A poor man is wronged, and he must apologize.†
4 If you can be useful to him, a rich man will make use of you; But if you are in need, he will abandon you.
5 If you own anything, he will live with you, And he will exhaust you, but will not feel sorry for you.
6 When he needs you, he will deceive you and smile at you; And he will give you hope and say good things to you. He will even say, “What do you need?”
7 He will shame you with his foods Until he exhausts you two or three times. Then at last he will mock you. If he should see you after this, he will forsake you And shake his head over you.
8 Take heed, lest you be led astray And be humiliated in your folly.
9 When a ruler invites you, be slow to accept, And he will invite you more often.
10 Do not press upon him, lest you be rejected, But do not withdraw at a distance, lest you be forgotten.
11 Do not intend to speak to him as an equal, And do not trust his abundance of words; For he will test you with a lot of talk, And while he is smiling, he will scrutinize you.
12 He who does not guard your words is unmerciful, And he will not hesitate to harm or imprison you.
13 Keep your words to yourself, and be very careful, For you are walking near your own fall.
Like Attracts Like
14 Every living creature loves its like, And every man his neighbor.†
15 All flesh gathers together by species, And every man clings to one like himself.
16 What wolf will associate with a lamb? No more will the sinner with a godly man.
17 What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? And what peace does a rich man have with a poor man?
18 The prey of lions are wild asses in the wilderness. Similarly, the pastures of the rich are the poor.
Rich and Poor
19 Lowness of stature is an abomination to the arrogant; Thus a poor man is an abomination to a rich man.
20 When a rich man is shaken, he is strengthened by friends; But when a humble man falls, he is pushed away by friends.
21 When a rich man falls, there are many to help him; And when he speaks abominable words, they justify him. If a humble man falls, they criticize him further; And when he speaks with intelligence, no place is given to him.
22 When a rich man speaks, everyone is silent, And they exalt his word to the clouds. A poor man speaks, and they say, “Who is this man?” And if he stumbles, they push him down even further.
23 Wealth in which there is no sin is good, But poverty is evil in the mouth of an ungodly man.
24 The heart of a man changes the expression on his face, Either for good or for evil.
25 The mark of a heart filled with goodness is a cheerful face, But the invention of proverbs requires laborious reasoning.
Psalms 20
1 For the End; a psalm by David. †
2 O Lord, the king shall be glad in Your power, And in Your salvation he will greatly rejoice.
3 You gave him his soul’s desire, And You did not deprive him of his lips’ request. (Pause)
4 For You anticipated him with blessings of goodness; You placed a crown of precious stones on his head.
5 He asked You for life, and You gave it to him, Length of days unto ages of ages.
6 Great is his glory in Your salvation; Glory and majesty You shall place upon him.
7 For You shall give him blessing unto ages of ages; You shall fill him with the joy of Your presence.
8 For the king hopes in the Lord, And in the mercy of the Most High he will not be shaken.
9 May Your hand be found on all Your enemies; May Your right hand find all who hate You.
10 You shall make them like a fiery furnace In the time of Your presence; The Lord shall throw them into confusion in His wrath, And the fire shall devour them.
11 You shall destroy their offspring from the earth And their seed from among the sons of men.
12 For they vented all their evils against You; They reasoned through a counsel they could not establish.
13 For You shall make them turn their back; Among Your remnants, You shall make ready their countenance.
14 Be exalted, O Lord, in Your power; We will sing and praise Your mighty deeds.
Proverbs of Solomon 3
33 Do not be ready to quarrel with a man in vain, Lest he do you some harm.
34 Do not incur the reproach of evil men, Neither seek their ways;
35 For every lawless man is unclean before the Lord, And he does not sit among the righteous.
36 The curse of God is in the houses of the ungodly, But He blesses the dwellings of the righteous.
37 The Lord opposes the arrogant, But He gives grace to the humble.
38 The wise shall inherit glory, But the ungodly exalt dishonor.
Acts 21
Palestine and Jerusalem: Don’t Go
1 Now it came to pass, that when we had departed from them and set sail, running a straight course we came to Cos, the following day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara.
2 And finding a ship sailing over to Phoenicia, we went aboard and set sail.
3 When we had sighted Cyprus, we passed it on the left, sailed to Syria, and landed at Tyre; for there the ship was to unload her cargo.
4 And finding disciples, we stayed there seven days. They told Paul through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem.
5 When we had come to the end of those days, we departed and went on our way; and they all accompanied us, with wives and children, till we were out of the city. And we knelt down on the shore and prayed.
6 When we had taken our leave of one another, we boarded the ship, and they returned home.
7 And when we had finished our voyage from Tyre, we came to Ptolemais, greeted the brethren, and stayed with them one day.
8 On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.†
9 Now this man had four virgin daughters who prophesied.†
10 And as we stayed many days, a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.†
11 When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ”
12 Now when we heard these things, both we and those from that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem.
13 Then Paul answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
14 So when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.”
15 And after those days we packed and went up to Jerusalem.
16 Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge.