Wisdom of Sirach 24
In Praise of Wisdom
1 Wisdom will praise herself, And in the midst of her people she will boast.†
2 In the assembly of the Most High, she will open her mouth And boast in the presence of His host.
3 “I came forth from the mouth of the Most High And covered the earth like a mist.†
4 I pitched my tent in the high places And my throne on the pillar of cloud.
5 I alone encircle the ring of heaven, And I walk in the depth of the abyss.
6 In the waves of the sea, in all the earth, And in every people and nation I have gained a possession.
7 With all these, I have sought a place to rest; In what inheritance will I lodge?
8 “Then the Creator of all things commanded me, And He who created me gave me a place to live. He said, ‘Pitch your tent in Jacob And receive an inheritance in Israel.’†
9 Before the age, He created me from the beginning, And in the age to come I will not cease.†
10 I serve before Him in His holy tabernacle; Therefore, I am established in Zion.
11 In the beloved city likewise He gives me rest, And my authority is in Jerusalem.
12 I am firmly rooted among an honored people, Among the Lord’s portion, His inheritance.
13 “Like a cedar tree I was raised on high in Lebanon, Like a cypress tree in the mountains of Hermon.
14 I was exalted like a palm tree in En-Gedi And like rose bushes in Jericho; I was exalted like a beautiful olive tree in the plain And grew tall like a plane-tree.
15 I gave forth the fragrance of aromatic spices Like cinnamon and camel-thorn, And I spread a fragrance like choice myrrh, And like galbanum, onyx, and oil of myrrh, And like the fragrance of frankincense in the tabernacle.
16 I spread forth my branches like a terebinth tree, And my branches were glory and grace.†
17 I yield grace like a vine, And my flowers produce the fruit of glory and riches.
18 I am the mother of fair love, and fear, and knowledge, and holy hope: I therefore, being eternal, am given to all my children who are named by Him.
19 “Come to me, you who desire me, And take your fill of my fruits.
20 For the remembrance of me is sweeter than honey, And my inheritance is sweeter than the honeycomb.
21 Those who eat me will hunger for more, And those who drink me will thirst for more.†
22 He who obeys me will not be put to shame, And those who work with me will not sin.”
23 All this is the book of the covenant of the Most High God— The law Moses commanded us, The inheritance of the congregations of Jacob.
24 Faint not to be strong in the Lord; That He may confirm you, cleave unto Him: For the Lord Almighty is God alone, And beside Him there is no other Savior.
25 This law fills men with wisdom, Like the Pishon and the Tigris at the time of firstfruits;
26 And it fills them with understanding, Like the Euphrates and the Jordan at the time of harvest.
27 This law shines forth instruction like light, Like the Gihon in the days of vintage.
28 As the first man did not know wisdom perfectly, So the last man has not searched out her depths.
29 For her thoughts are deeper than the sea And her counsel than the great abyss.
30 I went forth like a canal from a river And like an aqueduct into a garden.
31 I said, “I will water my garden And drench the garden beds.” And behold, my canal became a river, And my river became a sea.
32 I will yet make instruction shine like the morning, And I will make it shine far away.
33 I will yet pour forth teaching like prophecy, And I will leave it behind for future generations.
34 As you can see, I have not labored for myself alone, But for all who seek wisdom.
Psalms 30
1 For the End; a psalm by David; of ecstasy. †
2 In You, O Lord, I hope; may I not be ashamed forever; In Your righteousness deliver and rescue me.
3 Incline Your ear to me; Rescue me speedily; Be to me a God who protects me, And a house of refuge to save me.
4 For You are my strength and my refuge, And for Your name’s sake You will guide and sustain me;
5 For You will bring me out from the snare they hid for me; For You are my protector.
6 Into Your hands I shall entrust my spirit; You redeemed me, O Lord God of truth.
7 You hate those who maintain their empty vanities, But I hope in the Lord.
8 I will greatly rejoice and be glad because of Your mercy, For You beheld my humiliation; You saved my soul from distress,
9 And did not shut me up into the hands of the enemy; You set my feet in a wide place.
10 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am afflicted; My eye is troubled with anger; So are my soul and my stomach.
11 For my life is wasted with grief And my years with sighing; My strength is weakened with poverty, And my bones are troubled.
12 I became a reproach among all my enemies, And especially to all my neighbors, And a fear to all my acquaintances; Those who saw me outside fled from me.
13 I am forgotten like one whose heart is lifeless; I was made like a vessel that is utterly broken.
14 For I heard the blame of many who dwell round about When they were gathered together against me, When they plotted to take my life.
Proverbs of Solomon 6
Laziness: A Dead-End Road
7 Compare yourself with the ant, O sluggard, And be zealous when you see his ways, And become wiser than he.†
8 For although he has no tilled land, Neither anyone to compel him, Nor any master to rule him,
9 Yet he prepares all his food in the summer And makes his provisions abundant in the winter.
10 Or go to the honeybee, And learn how she is a worker And how solemnly she does her work,
11 Whose labors kings and common people use for health; And she is desirable to all and glorious;
12 And although she is weak in bodily strength, She leads the way in honoring wisdom.
Romans 1
Greeting
1 Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God†
2 which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,
3 concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh,†
4 and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.†
5 Through Him we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name,†
6 among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ;†
7 To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.†
Desire to Visit Rome
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world.†
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
10 making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you.
11 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established— †
12 that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.
13 Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.†
14 I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to wise and to unwise.†
15 So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
The Theme: The Righteousness of God Through Faith in Christ
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.†
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” †
Judgment of Sinning Humanity
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,†
19 because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,†
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.†
22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,
23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things.
24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,
25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature.†
27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due.
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers,†
30 backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,
31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful;
32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them.