Wisdom of Sirach 16
Ungodly Children
1 Do not desire a multitude of useless children, Nor rejoice in ungodly sons.†
2 If they multiply, do not rejoice over them If the fear of the Lord is not in them.
3 Do not trust in their life Nor pay attention to their multitude; For one godly child is better than a thousand. And it is better to die childless than to have ungodly children.
4 For from one child with wisdom a city will be filled with people, But a tribe of lawless men will make it desolate.
5 My eyes have seen many such things, And my ear has heard worse things than this.
Rebuke and Mercy
6 In the congregation of sinners, a fire will be kindled, And in a disobedient nation, wrath is kindled.†
7 There was no atonement for the ancient giants Who turned away from God because of their strength.†
8 He did not spare the cities where Lot sojourned, Whom He detested because of their arrogance.†
9 He had no mercy on a nation destined for destruction Who were taken away because of their sins.
10 The same thing happened to the six hundred thousand foot-soldiers Who gathered together in their hardness of heart.†
11 Even if there was only one stiff-necked man, It would be a marvel if he were to remain unpunished. For mercy and wrath belong to the Lord, And He is mighty to forgive; And He pours out wrath.
12 As great as His mercy, so also great is His rebuke, And He will judge a man according to his works.†
13 A sinner will not escape with his spoils, And the patience of a godly man will not fare badly.
14 He will make a place for every act of mercy. Each will find this out according to his works.
None Remain Anonymous
15 Do not say, “I will be hidden from the Lord, And who will remember me from on high? I will not be known among so many people, For what is my soul in comparison to the immeasurable creation?†
16 Behold, heaven and the highest heaven, The abyss and the earth will be shaken at His visitation.
17 At the same time, the mountains and the foundations of the earth Will shake with trembling when He looks upon them.
18 No heart will able to think about these things, And who will ponder His ways?
19 There will be a sudden blast of wind which no man will see, For most of His works will be done in secret.
20 Who will proclaim His works of righteousness, Or who will endure them? For His covenant is far off.”
21 This is what a man thinks Who is diminished in heart and without discernment, Who is deceived and thinks foolishly.
22 Listen to me, my son, and gain knowledge, And pay close attention to my words in your heart.†
23 I will reveal instruction with balance, And I will proclaim knowledge with exactness.
The Majesty of Creation
24 By the judgment of the Lord, His works exist from the beginning, And from their creation, He determined their boundaries.
25 He ordered His works forever, And their principles according to their generations. They neither hunger nor grow weary, And they do not cease from their works.
26 Each does not afflict the one close to him, And they will never disobey His word.
27 After this the Lord looked upon the earth And filled it with His good things.
28 He covered its surface with the life of every living creature, And to it they will return again.
Psalms 22
1 A psalm by David. †The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters.
3 He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord to the end of my days.
Psalms 23
1 A psalm by David; on the first day of the week. †The earth is the Lord’s, and its fullness, The world and all who dwell therein.
2 For He founded it upon the seas And prepared it upon the rivers.
3 Who shall ascend to the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in His holy place?
4 He who has innocent hands and a pure heart; He who does not lift up his soul to vanity; He who does not swear deceitfully to his neighbor.
5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord And mercy from the God of his salvation.
6 This is the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek the face of the God of Jacob. (Pause)
7 Lift up the gates, O you rulers, And be lifted up, you everlasting doors, And the King of glory shall enter.
8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord powerful in battle.
9 Lift up the gates, O you rulers, And be lifted up, you everlasting doors, And the King of glory shall enter.
10 Who is this King of Glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Proverbs of Solomon 4
13 Do not go in the ways of the ungodly, Neither be zealous for the ways of the lawless;
14 In whatever place they encamp, do not go there, But turn aside from them and pass by.
15 For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; Their sleep is taken away, and they do not rest;
16 For they feed on the bread of ungodliness, And they are drunk with the wine of lawlessness.
17 But the ways of the righteous shine like a light; They go before and give light until full daylight.
18 But the ways of the ungodly are dark; They do not know how they stumble.
Acts 22
Before the Sanhedrin
30 The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them.†
Acts 23
1 Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, “Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.”†
2 And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.†
3 Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”†
4 And those who stood by said, “Do you revile God’s high priest?”
5 Then Paul said, “I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’ ”
6 But when Paul perceived that one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee; concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”†
7 And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.
8 For Sadducees say that there is no resurrection—and no angel or spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.†
9 Then there arose a loud outcry. And the scribes of the Pharisees’ party arose and protested, saying, “We find no evil in this man; but if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God.”
10 Now when there arose a great dissension, the commander, fearing lest Paul might be pulled to pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them, and bring him into the barracks.
11 But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.”†