Wisdom of Solomon 7, 8
1 Now I also am a mortal, the same as all men,
And earthborn, a descendant of the first-formed man;
For in the womb of a mother I was engraved as flesh.
2 In a period of ten months, I was constructed with blood
From the seed of a man and the pleasure of marriage.
3 When I was born, I breathed the common air,
Then fell upon the earth the same as all;
And as my first sound, I cried like everyone else.
4 I was nursed with care in swaddling cloths.
5 Thus no king had a different beginning of existence,
6 For there is one entrance into life for all,
And a common departure.
Solomon’s Love of Wisdom
7 Therefore I prayed, and discernment was given to me;
I appealed to God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me.
8 I preferred her to scepter and thrones,
And regarded wealth as nothing in comparison to her.
9 Nor did I liken her to any priceless stone,
Because all gold is only a little sand in her sight.
And silver will be counted as clay before her.
10 I loved her more than health and beauty,
And I chose her instead of light,
Because her light is sleepless.
11 All good things came to me together with her,
And in her hands countless wealth.
12 I was gladdened by all of them
Because wisdom rules them;
But I did not know she was their mother.
13 So I learned both honestly and ungrudgingly,
And I do not hide her wealth,
14 For it is an unfailing treasure for men
Who, when they get it, obtain friendship with God,
For they demonstrate her gifts that come from instruction.
15 May God grant me to speak according to His purpose
And to think worthily of what I was given,
For He is also the guide of wisdom and the corrector of the wise.
16 For both we and our words are in His hand,
And so are all insights and knowledge of handicrafts.
17 For He gives me knowledge of the things that exist:
To know the truthful structure of the world,
The operative power of its elementary principles,
18 The beginning, end, and middle of the times,
The changes of the solstices and the transitions of the seasons,
19 The cycles of the year and the arranging of the stars,
20 The natures of animals and the tempers of beasts,
The force of winds and the reasoning of mankind,
The distinction of plants and the strength of roots,
21 And to know whatever is hidden and whatever is visible.
For wisdom, the artisan of all things, taught me.
22 So in herself, wisdom is a spirit that is rational,
Holy, only-begotten, manifold, subtle, easily moved, clear,
Undefiled, manifest, invulnerable, loving what is good, keen,
23 Unhindered, beneficent, man-loving, steadfast, unfailing,
Free from worry, all-powerful, all-surveying,
And penetrating all spirits that are rational, pure, and most subtle.
24 For wisdom moves from one place to another
More easily than motion itself,
And because of her purity, she penetrates all things.
25 So she is the exhalation of the power of God
And the emanation of the pure glory of the Almighty;
Therefore nothing defiled enters her.
26 For she is the radiance of eternal light,
A spotless mirror of the operative power of God
And the image of His goodness.
27 Though she is one, she can do all things;
So while remaining in herself, she renews all things;
And in every generation, she passes into holy souls
And makes them friends of God and prophets.
28 Thus God loves nothing as much
As the one who lives with wisdom.
29 For wisdom is more beautiful than the sun
And more than every constellation of stars.
Compared with light she is found to be superior,
30 For night succeeds the light,
But evil cannot overcome wisdom.
At Home with Wisdom
1 Wisdom stretches out from one end of the earth to the other,
And she governs all things well.
2 I loved her and sought her from my youth,
And desired to take her as a bride for myself;
And I became a lover of her beauty.
3 She glorifies her noble birth by living with God,
And the Master of all loves her.
4 For she is the initiate of the knowledge of God
And one who chooses His works.
5 Now if riches are a possession to be desired in life,
What is richer than wisdom, who works all things?
6 And if discernment shows itself in action,
Who more than wisdom is its craftsman?
7 If anyone loves righteousness,
The products of righteousness are the virtues.
For wisdom teaches self-control, discernment, righteousness and courage,
Concerning which things there is nothing more valuable in the life of man.
8 But also, if anyone longs for great experience,
She knows the things of old and portrays the things to come;
She understands subtlety of words and the solution of riddles;
She has foreknowledge of signs and wonders
And the outcomes of times and seasons.
9 Therefore I decided to take her to live with me,
Knowing she would give me good counsel
And encouragement in cares and sorrows.
10 Because of her I will have glory among the multitudes
And honor in the presence of the elders, though I am young.
11 I will be found keen in judgment
And be admired in the sight of rulers.
12 When I am silent, they will wait for me,
And when I speak, they will give heed to me;
And when I speak longer,
They will put their hand over their mouth.
13 I will have immortality because of her
And will leave an eternal remembrance
For those who exist after me.
14 I shall govern peoples,
And nations will be subject to me.
15 Dread tyrants shall be afraid of me when they hear of me;
Among the people I will show myself
To be good and courageous in war.
16 When I enter my house, I shall find rest with her,
For association with her has no bitterness,
Neither does living with her have any sorrow,
But only gladness and joy.
17 When I considered these things within myself
And thought about them in my heart,
That in kinship with wisdom there is immortality,
18 And in friendship with her there is good pleasure,
And in the labors of her hands there is unfailing wealth,
And in the shared training of her company there is discernment,
And in the fellowship of her words there is good repute—
Thus I searched about that I might take her for myself.
19 As a child I was good by nature and received a good soul;
20 And much more, since I was good,
I entered an undefiled body.
21 Yet I knew otherwise that I would not be self-controlled
Unless God gave me wisdom,
And that it was a mark of discernment
To know whose gift she was—
So I entreated the Lord and besought Him,
And with all my heart, I said:
Psalm 55
1 For the End, for the people far from the holy places; by David; for a pillar inscription, when foreigners conquered him in Gath.
2 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for man tramples me down;
All day long he afflicts me in war.
3 All day my enemies trample me down,
For many are those who war against me from on high.
4 I will not fear by day,
But I will hope in You.
5 I will praise God with my words all day long;
In God I hope; I will not be afraid; what will flesh do to me?
6 All day long they make my words repulsive;
All their thoughts are against me for evil.
7 They will dwell near and hide;
They will watch my heel
As they wait for my soul.
8 In no way will You save them;
In wrath You will bring down peoples, O God.
9 I declare my life to You;
You set my tears before You, as also in Your promise.
10 My enemies shall be turned back
In whatever day I may call upon You;
Behold, I know You are my God.
11 In God I will praise His word;
In the Lord I will praise His word.
12 In God I hope; I will not be afraid;
What will man do to me?
13 In me, O God, are vows
I will render in praise to You;
14 For You delivered my soul from death,
And my feet from slipping;
That I may be well-pleasing before God in the light of the living.
Proverbs 11:21–25
21 Like a ring in the nose of a wild swine,
So is beauty to an evil-minded woman.
22 Every desire of the righteous is good,
But the hope of the ungodly is destruction.
23 There are those who sow their own things and produce more things,
And there are those who gather but have less.
24 Every sincere soul is blessed,
But an angry man is not graceful.
25 May the one who hoards grain leave it to the nations,
But may blessing be upon the head of the one who shares it.
1 Corinthians 12:1–30
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:
2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.
3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Unity and Diversity in One Body
(cf. Eph. 4:1–16)
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.
15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body?
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
23 And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty,
24 but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it,
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.
28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?
30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?
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