Wisdom of Sirach 9, 10
1 Do not be jealous of the wife of your bosom
And so teach her an evil lesson about yourself.
2 Do not give your soul to a woman
To let her trample on your strength.
3 Do not meet with a woman who is a courtesan,
Lest you fall into her snares.
4 Do not associate with a dancing-girl,
Lest you be caught in her schemes.
5 Do not gaze at a virgin,
Lest you stumble and pay damages for her.
6 Do not give your soul to prostitutes,
Lest you destroy your inheritance.
7 Do not look around in the streets of a city,
And do not wander about in its deserted sections.
8 Turn your eye away from a woman with a shapely figure,
And do not gaze at beauty belonging to another.
Many have been led astray by the beauty of a woman,
And erotic love is like a burning fire.
9 Never dine with another man’s wife,
And do not share in parties with her over wine,
Lest your soul turn aside to her,
And you slip and with your spirit fall into destruction.
Friends and Neighbors
10 Do not forsake an old friend,
For a new one is not equal with him.
A new friend is like new wine;
Drink it with pleasure only after it ages.
11 Do not envy the honor given a sinner,
For you do not know what his end will be.
12 Do not delight in the pleasure of the ungodly;
Remember, they will not be declared righteous even in Hades.
13 Keep far away from a man who has the power to kill,
And you will not be anxious about the fear of death.
But if you come near him, do not offend him,
Lest he take away your life.
Know that you are stepping in the midst of snares
And walking about the battlements of a city.
14 Evaluate your neighbors as best you can
And consult with those who are wise.
15 Let your reasoning be with those who are wise,
And let all your talk be about the law of the Most High.
16 Let righteous men be your dinner companions,
And let your boasting be in the fear of the Lord.
Wise Leaders
17 A work will be praised for the skill of its craftsmen,
And a wise leader of people for the skill of his words.
18 A talkative man is regarded with fear in his city,
And a man who is reckless in his speech will be hated.
1 A wise leader will educate his people,
And the rule of an intelligent man will be well ordered.
2 As goes the leader of a people, so also are his officials,
And all the inhabitants of a city will reflect its ruler.
3 An undisciplined king will ruin his people,
But a city will be made habitable through the wisdom of its rulers.
4 The authority of the earth is in the hand of the Lord,
And He will raise up the right man for an appointed time.
5 The success of a man is in the hand of the Lord,
And He confers His honor upon the person of the scribe.
6 Do not cherish anger against your neighbor for any injury,
And do nothing by acts of insolence.
Beware of Arrogance
7 Arrogance is hateful before God and man,
And wrongdoing is offensive to both.
8 Dominion is transferred from nation to nation
Because of wrongdoing, insolence, and wealth.
9 How can he who is earth and ashes be arrogant?
Because even while living, his insides are decaying.
10 A physician scoffs at a long illness,
And a king today will also die tomorrow.
11 When a man dies, he will inherit
Reptiles, wild animals, and worms.
12 The beginning of a man’s arrogance is to depart from the Lord,
For his heart withdraws from the One who created him.
13 For the beginning of arrogance is sin,
And he who takes hold of it will pour out an abomination.
Therefore the Lord will bring them extraordinary distress
And completely destroy them.
14 The Lord pulls down the thrones of rulers
And seats the gentle in their place.
15 The Lord plucks out the roots of nations
And plants the humble in their place.
16 The Lord overthrows the lands of the nations
And destroys them to the foundations of the earth.
17 He removes some of them and destroys them,
And puts an end to their memory on the earth.
18 Arrogance was not created by mankind,
Nor fierce anger by the offspring of women.
Honor and Dishonor
19 What kind of seed is honored?
The seed of man.
What kind of seed is honored?
Those who fear the Lord.
What kind of seed is dishonored?
The seed of man.
What kind of seed is dishonored?
Those who transgress the commandments.
20 Among brothers their leader is honored,
And those who fear the Lord are honored in His eyes.
21 The fear of the Lord goes before the obtaining of authority,
But roughness and pride is the losing thereof.
22 The rich and the honored and the poor alike—
Their boasting is the fear of the Lord.
23 It is not right to dishonor an intelligent poor man,
Nor is it proper to honor a sinful man.
24 The nobleman, the judge, and the ruler will be honored,
But none of them is greater than the one who fears the Lord.
25 Free men will render service to a wise servant,
And an understanding man will not grumble.
26 Do not put your wisdom on display when you do your work,
Nor magnify yourself in the time of your trouble.
27 Better is he who works and has plenty
Than he who magnifies himself but has no bread.
28 My son, honor your soul with gentleness
And give it honor according to its worth.
29 Who will declare righteous the man who sins against his soul,
And who will honor the man who dishonors his life?
30 A poor man is honored for his knowledge,
While a rich man is honored for his wealth.
31 If a man is honored in poverty,
How much more in wealth,
And if a man is dishonored in wealth,
How much more in poverty?
Psalm 67:1–20
1 For the End; a psalm of an ode; by David.
2 Let God arise, and let His enemies be scattered,
And let those who hate Him flee from before His face.
3 As smoke vanishes, so let them vanish;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the sinners perish from the face of God.
4 And let the righteous be glad;
Let them greatly rejoice before God;
Let them be glad with merriment.
5 Sing to God; sing to His name;
Make ready the way for Him
Who rides upon the sunset;
His name is the Lord;
And greatly rejoice before Him.
Let them be troubled before His face,
6 He who is the father of orphans and the judge of widows;
God is in His holy place.
7 God settles the solitary in a house;
With courage He leads out those in bondage,
Likewise those who rebel, who dwell in tombs.
8 O God, when You went forth before Your people,
When You passed through the desert,
(Pause)
9 The earth shook; truly the heavens let the rain fall,
Before the face of the God of Sinai,
Before the face of the God of Israel.
10 You, O God, willingly grant rain to Your inheritance,
And it was weakened, but You restored it.
11 Your creatures are dwelling in it;
In Your goodness, O God, You provide for the poor.
12 The Lord will give His word
To those proclaiming the gospel with great power,
13 He who is the King of hosts of the beloved,
That He may divide the booty for the beauty of the house.
14 If you fall asleep in the midst of your portions,
You will have the wings of a dove, all covered with silver,
And her back with yellow gold.
(Pause)
15 When the heavenly One appoints kings over it,
They shall become as white as the snow on Zalmon.
16 The mountain of God is a fertile mountain,
A mountain richly curdled with milk, a fat mountain.
17 Why do you think about other mountains richly curdled with milk?
This is the mountain God consented to dwell in;
Truly the Lord will lodge in it to the end.
18 God’s chariot is ten thousand-fold,
Thousands abounding in numbers;
The Lord is among them at Sinai in the holy place.
19 You ascended on high, You led captivity captive;
You received gifts for mankind,
Truly for the disobedient, so they may dwell there.
The Lord God is blessed;
20 Blessed is the Lord from day to day;
The God of our salvation will bring prosperity upon us.
(Pause)
Proverbs 13:22–27
22 He who walks with the wise shall be wise,
But he who walks with those without discernment will be known.
23 Evil things shall pursue sinners,
But good things will overtake the righteous.
24 A good man will inherit sons of sons,
But the wealth of the ungodly will be stored up for the righteous.
25 The righteous shall live in wealth many years,
But the unrighteous will be destroyed suddenly.
26 He who spares the rod hates his son,
But he who loves him instructs him with care.
27 A righteous man eats and satisfies his soul,
But the souls of the ungodly are in want.
2 Corinthians 6
1 We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For He says:
“In an acceptable time I have heard you,
And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
3 We give no offense in anything, that our ministry may not be blamed.
4 But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God: in much patience, in tribulations, in needs, in distresses,
5 in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in fastings;
6 by purity, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love,
7 by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8 by honor and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed;
10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Be Holy
11 O Corinthians! We have spoken openly to you, our heart is wide open.
12 You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.
13 Now in return for the same (I speak as to children), you also be open.
14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?
15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
17 Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
18 “I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.”