Wisdom of Sirach 21
Flee from Sin
1 My son, have you sinned? No longer add to them, but pray about your former sins.†
2 Flee from sin as you would from the presence of a snake, For if you approach it, it will bite you; Its teeth are like lion’s teeth, destroying the souls of men.
3 All lawlessness is like a two-edged sword, For there is no healing from its wound.†
4 Panic and violence will lay waste to wealth. Likewise, the house of an arrogant man will be laid waste.
5 The prayer of a poor man goes from his mouth to God’s ears, And His judgment comes speedily.
6 Whoever hates rebuke walks in the steps of a sinner, But he who fears the Lord will return to Him with his heart.
7 A man powerful in speech is known from afar, But an intelligent man knows when he slips.
8 He who builds his house with other people’s money Is like a man who gathers his stones in a storm.
9 The assembly of the lawless is like a bundle of kindling Whose end is a flame of fire.
10 The way of sinners is paved with stones, But at its end is the pit of Hades.
Wise or Foolish?
11 He who keeps the law controls his thoughts; The end result of the fear of the Lord is wisdom.†
12 He who is not astute cannot be taught, But there is an astuteness that increases bitterness.
13 The knowledge of a wise man is like a flood, And his counsel will flow abundantly as a fountain of life.†
14 The inner workings of a fool are like a broken vessel, For he will not hold onto any knowledge.
15 If a man of understanding hears a wise word, He will praise it and add to it; But if a self-indulgent man hears it, it displeases him, And he turns his back on it.
16 The explanation of a fool is like a burden on a journey, But grace will be on the lips of an intelligent man.†
17 The utterance of a sensible person will be sought in the assembly, And they will ponder his words in their heart.†
18 Like a house that has disappeared, So is wisdom to a fool, And the knowledge of a foolish man is words That will not stand up to examination.
19 To a foolish man, instruction is like chains on the feet And like handcuffs on the right hand.
20 A fool raises his voice when he laughs, But an astute man will smile quietly with some hesitation.
21 To a wise man instruction is like a golden ornament And like a bracelet on the right arm.
22 The foot of a fool quickly enters a house, But a man with much experience will stand respectfully outside.
23 A man without discernment peers into a house from the door, But a well-educated man will stand outside.
24 A man shows his lack of education when he listens at the door, But a prudent man will be grieved by this disgrace.
25 The lips of the unwise will describe things in detail, But the words of the prudent will balance the scale.
26 The heart of fools is in their mouth, But the mouth of the wise is in their heart.
27 When an ungodly man curses Satan, He curses his own soul.†
28 The whisperer defiles his own soul And will be hated in his own neighborhood.
Psalms 27
1 Of David. †To You, O Lord, I cry; O my God, may You not pass over me in silence; May You never be silent to me, Else I would become like those who go down into the pit.
2 Hear the voice of my supplication when I pray to You And when I lift up my hands toward Your holy temple.
3 May You not associate my soul with sinners, Nor destroy me with the workers of injustice, Who speak peace with their neighbor, But evil is in their hearts.
4 Give them according to their works, According to the wickedness of their pursuits; Give them according to the works of their hands; Return to them their due reward.
5 Because they do not understand the works of the Lord, Nor the deeds of His hands, You will destroy them, and never rebuild them.
6 Blessed is the Lord, Because He heard the voice of my supplication.
7 The Lord is my helper and my champion; In Him my heart hoped, and I was helped, And my flesh revived; And I will give thanks to Him willingly.
8 The Lord is the strength of His people, And the protector of the salvation of His anointed.
9 Save Your people, and bless Your inheritance; And shepherd them, and raise them up forever.
Proverbs of Solomon 5
The Sanctity of Marriage
15 Drink waters from your vessels And from the fountains of your spring.
16 Do not let the waters from your fountain be spilled by you, But let your waters pass through your wide places;
17 Let them be only for you, And let no stranger partake with you;
18 Let the fountain of your water be for you alone, And rejoice together with the wife of your youth.
19 Let your loving deer and graceful colt keep company with you, And let her alone go before you and be with you at all times; For in living with her love, you will be great.
Acts 27
The Voyage to Rome Begins
1 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Regiment.
2 So, entering a ship of Adramyttium, we put to sea, meaning to sail along the coasts of Asia. Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us.†
3 And the next day we landed at Sidon. And Julius treated Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care.†
4 When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.
5 And when we had sailed over the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.
6 There the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy, and he put us on board.
7 When we had sailed slowly many days, and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete off Salmone.
8 Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
9 Now when much time had been spent, and sailing was now dangerous because the Fast was already over, Paul advised them,†
10 saying, “Men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.”†
11 Nevertheless the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.
12 And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also, if by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete opening toward the southwest and northwest, and winter there .
Storm and Shipwreck
13 When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close by Crete.
14 But not long after, a tempestuous head wind arose, called Euroclydon.
15 So when the ship was caught, and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.
16 And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.†
17 When they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship; and fearing lest they should run aground on the Syrtis Sands , they struck sail and so were driven.†
18 And because we were exceedingly tempest-tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.†
19 On the third day we threw the ship’s tackle overboard with our own hands.
20 Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us , all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.