11 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David , king of Israel : 2 To know wisdom and instruction , To discern the sayings of understanding , 3 To receive instruction in wise behavior , Righteousness , justice and equity ; 4 To give prudence to the [1]naive , To the youth knowledge and discretion , 5 A wise man will hear and increase in learning , And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel , 6 To understand a proverb and a figure , The words of the wise and their riddles .
7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge ; Fools despise wisdom and instruction .
8 Hear , my son , your father's instruction And do not forsake your mother's teaching ; 9 Indeed , they are a graceful wreath to your head And [2] ornaments about your neck .
10 My son , if sinners entice you, Do not consent . 11 If they say , "Come with us, Let us lie in wait for blood , Let us ambush the innocent without cause ; 12 Let us swallow them alive like Sheol , Even whole , as those who go down to the pit ; 13 We will find all kinds of precious wealth , We will fill our houses with spoil ; 14 Throw in your lot [3]with us, We shall all have one purse ," 15 My son , do not walk in the way with them. Keep your feet from their path , 16 For their feet run to evil And they hasten to shed blood . 17 Indeed , it is [4]useless to spread the baited net In the sight of any [5]bird e ; 18 But they lie in wait for their own blood ; They ambush their own lives . 19 So are the ways of everyone who gains by violence ; It takes away the life of its possessors .
20 Wisdom shouts in the street , She [6]lifts her voice in the square ; 21 At the head of the noisy streets she cries out; At the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her sayings : 22 "How long e , O [7] naive ones , will you love [8]being simple-minded ? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing And fools hate knowledge ? 23 "Turn to my reproof , Behold , I will pour out my spirit on you; I will make my words known to you. 24 "Because I called and you refused , I stretched out my hand and no one paid attention ; 25 And you neglected all my counsel And did not want my reproof ; 26 I will also laugh at your calamity ; I will mock when your dread comes , 27 When your dread comes like a storm And your calamity comes like a whirlwind , When distress and anguish come upon you. 28 "Then they will call on me, but I will not answer ; They will seek me diligently but they will not find me, 29 Because e they hated knowledge And did not choose the fear of the Lord . 30 "They would not accept my counsel , They spurned all my reproof . 31 "So they shall eat of the fruit of their own way And be satiated with their own devices . 32 "For the waywardness of the [9]naive will kill them, And the complacency of fools will destroy them. 33 "But he who listens to me shall [10]live securely And will be at ease from the dread of evil ."
21 My son , if you will receive my words And treasure my commandments within you, 2 Make your ear attentive to wisdom , Incline your heart to understanding ; 3 For if you cry for discernment , Lift your voice for understanding ; 4 If you seek her as silver And search for her as for hidden treasures ; 5 Then you will discern the fear of the Lord And discover the knowledge of God . 6 For the Lord gives wisdom ; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding . 7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright ; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity , 8 Guarding the paths of justice , And He preserves the way of His godly ones . 9 Then you will discern righteousness and justice And equity and every good course .
10 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul ; 11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you, 12 To deliver you from the way of evil , From the man who speaks perverse things ; 13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness To walk in the ways of darkness ; 14 Who delight in doing evil And rejoice in the perversity of evil ; 15 Whose paths are crooked , And who are devious in their ways ; 16 To deliver you from the strange woman , From the adulteress who flatters with her words ; 17 That leaves the companion of her youth And forgets the covenant of her God ; 18 For her house sinks down to death And her tracks lead to the dead ; 19 None e who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life . 20 So you will walk in the way of good men And keep to the paths of the righteous . 21 For the upright will live in the land And the blameless will remain in it; 22 But the wicked will be cut off from the land And the treacherous will be uprooted from it.
161 Now concerning the collection for the saints , as I directed the churches of Galatia , so do you also . 2 On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside e and save , as he may prosper , so that no collections be made when I come . 3 When I arrive , whomever e you may approve , I will send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem ; 4 and if it is fitting for me to go also , they will go with me.
5 But I will come to you after I go through Macedonia , for I am going through Macedonia ; 6 and perhaps I will stay with you, or even spend the winter , so that you may send me on my way wherever e I may go . 7 For I do not wish to see you now just in passing ; for I hope to remain with you for some time , if the Lord permits . 8 But I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost ; 9 for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries .
10 Now if Timothy comes , see that he is with you without cause to be afraid , for he is doing the Lord's work , as I also am. 11 So let no one despise him. But send him on his way in peace , so that he may come to me; for I expect him with the brethren . 12 But concerning Apollos our brother , I encouraged him greatly to come to you with the brethren ; and it was not at all his desire to come now , but he will come when he has opportunity .
13 Be on the alert , stand firm in the faith , act like men , be strong . 14 Let all that you do be done in love . 15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas , that they were the first fruits of Achaia , and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints ), 16 that you also be in subjection to such men and to everyone who helps in the work and labors . 17 I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus , because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. 18 For they have refreshed my spirit and yours . Therefore acknowledge such men .
19 The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord , with the church that is in their house . 20 All the brethren greet you. Greet one another with a holy kiss . 21 The greeting is in my own hand -Paul . 22 If anyone does not love the Lord , he is to be accursed . Maranatha . 23 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. 24 My love be with you all in Christ Jesus . Amen .
