Wisdom of Sirach 49
Josiah and Jeremiah
1 The remembrance of Josiah is like the composition of incense Prepared by the work of the perfumer. In every mouth it is sweet like honey And like the music at a banquet with wine.
2 He led in the conversion of the people, And he removed the abominations of lawlessness.
3 He directed his heart to the Lord, And in days of lawlessness he strengthened godliness.
4 Except for David, Hezekiah, and Josiah, All offended continually, For they forsook the law of the Most High. The kings of Judah failed,
5 For they gave their power to others And their glory to a foreign nation.
6 They set fire to the chosen city of the sanctuary And desolated her streets†
7 According to the word of Jeremiah; For they did him evil, He who was sanctified as a prophet while still inside his mother, To root out, to afflict, and to destroy, And likewise to build and to plant.
Ezekiel and the Twelve Prophets
8 Ezekiel himself saw a vision of glory, Which the Lord showed him on a chariot of cherubim.†
9 For He remembered his enemies with a thunderstorm And did good to those who directed their ways aright.
10 May He indeed revive the bones Of the twelve prophets from their place. For they encouraged the people of Jacob And redeemed them with steadfast hope.†
Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah
11 How shall we magnify Zerubbabel? He was surely like a seal upon the right hand,
12 And so was Jeshua the son of Jozadak, Who in their days built the house And raised up a holy temple to the Lord, One prepared unto eternal glory.
13 There is the lasting memory of Nehemiah, Who raised for us the walls that had fallen; And he established gates and locks And raised again our home sites.
Others of Honor
14 No one like Enoch was created upon the earth, For he himself was taken up from the earth.†
15 Neither has a man like Joseph been born, The leader of his brothers and the support of his people; And they watched over his bones.
16 Shem and Seth were honored among men, And Adam over every living thing in creation.
Psalms 48
11 Foolish and senseless men die together, And they leave their wealth to strangers;
12 And their graves will be their homes continually, Their dwelling places from generation to generation. They called their lands after their own names.
13 A man being in honor did not understand; He was compared to the senseless cattle, and became like them.
14 Their road is a snare for them, Yet afterwards, men will be well pleased with their sayings.
15 Like sheep, they are put in Hades; death will shepherd them; And the upright shall gain dominion over them in the morning; And their help shall be made old in Hades away from their glory.
16 Yet God will redeem my soul From the hand of Hades when He shall receive me. (Pause)
17 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, And when the glory of his house is increased;
18 For when he dies, he shall carry nothing away; Neither will his glory descend with him.
19 For his soul shall be blessed in his lifetime; He will acknowledge You when You do him good.
20 He shall enter the generations of his fathers; He shall not see light forever.
21 A man being in honor did not understand; He was compared to the senseless cattle, and became like them.
Proverbs of Solomon 10
7 The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of a righteous man, But untimely grief will cover the mouth of the ungodly.
8 The remembrance of the righteous is with eulogies, But the name of an ungodly man is extinguished.
9 The wise man in heart will receive the commandments, But the man unguarded in speech will be overthrown in his perverseness.†
10 He who walks in sincerity walks confidently, But he who perverts his ways will be known.
11 He who winks his eyes deceitfully gathers grief for men, But he who reproves boldly is a peacemaker.
1 Corinthians 6
Lawsuits: The Church Has Discernment
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?†
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?†
3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?†
8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,†
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.†
Immorality: The Church Is a Temple
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.†
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.†
14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not!†
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?†
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.