Proverbs 2-4
English Standard Version
The Value of Wisdom
2 (A)My son, (B)if you receive my words
and treasure up my commandments with you,
2 making your ear attentive to wisdom
and inclining your heart to understanding;
3 yes, if you call out for insight
and raise your voice (C)for understanding,
4 if you seek it like (D)silver
and search for it as for (E)hidden treasures,
5 then (F)you will understand the fear of the Lord
and find the knowledge of God.
6 For (G)the Lord gives wisdom;
from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;
7 he stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
he is (H)a shield to those who (I)walk in integrity,
8 guarding the paths of justice
and (J)watching over the way of his (K)saints.
9 (L)Then you will understand (M)righteousness and justice
and equity, every good path;
10 for wisdom will come into your heart,
and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul;
11 (N)discretion will (O)watch over you,
understanding will guard you,
12 delivering you from the way of evil,
from men of perverted speech,
13 who forsake the paths of uprightness
to (P)walk in the ways of darkness,
14 who (Q)rejoice in doing evil
and (R)delight in the perverseness of evil,
15 men whose (S)paths are crooked,
(T)and who are (U)devious in their ways.
16 So (V)you will be delivered from the forbidden[a] woman,
from (W)the adulteress[b] with (X)her smooth words,
17 who forsakes (Y)the companion of her youth
and forgets (Z)the covenant of her God;
18 (AA)for her house sinks down to death,
and her paths to the departed;[c]
19 none who go to her come back,
nor do they regain the paths of life.
20 So you will walk in the way of the good
and keep to the paths of the righteous.
21 For the upright (AB)will inhabit the land,
and those with integrity will remain in it,
22 but the wicked will be (AC)cut off from the land,
and the treacherous will be (AD)rooted out of it.
Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart
3 (AE)My son, do not forget my teaching,
(AF)but let your heart keep my commandments,
2 for (AG)length of days and years of life
and (AH)peace they will add to you.
3 Let not (AI)steadfast love and (AJ)faithfulness forsake you;
(AK)bind them around your neck;
(AL)write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will (AM)find favor and (AN)good success[d]
in the sight of God and man.
5 (AO)Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
and (AP)do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways (AQ)acknowledge him,
and he (AR)will make straight your paths.
7 (AS)Be not wise in your own eyes;
(AT)fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be (AU)healing to your flesh[e]
and (AV)refreshment[f] to your bones.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with (AW)the firstfruits of all your produce;
10 then your (AX)barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.
11 (AY)My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline
or be weary of his reproof,
12 for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,
as (AZ)a father the son in whom he delights.
Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom
13 (BA)Blessed is the one who finds wisdom,
and the one who gets understanding,
14 (BB)for the gain from her is better than gain from silver
and her profit better than (BC)gold.
15 She is more precious than (BD)jewels,
and (BE)nothing you desire can compare with her.
16 (BF)Long life is in her right hand;
in her left hand are (BG)riches and honor.
17 Her (BH)ways are ways of pleasantness,
and all her paths are peace.
18 She is (BI)a tree of life to those who (BJ)lay hold of her;
those who hold her fast are called blessed.
19 (BK)The Lord by wisdom founded the earth;
by understanding (BL)he established the heavens;
20 by his knowledge (BM)the deeps broke open,
and (BN)the clouds drop down the dew.
21 My son, (BO)do not lose sight of these—
keep sound wisdom and discretion,
22 and they will be (BP)life for your soul
and (BQ)adornment for your neck.
23 (BR)Then you will walk on your way securely,
(BS)and your foot will not stumble.
24 (BT)If you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, (BU)your sleep will be sweet.
25 (BV)Do not be afraid of sudden terror
or of (BW)the ruin[g] of the wicked, when it comes,
26 for the Lord will be your confidence
and will (BX)keep your foot from being caught.
27 (BY)Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due,[h]
when it is in your power to do it.
28 (BZ)Do not say to your neighbor, “Go, and come again,
tomorrow I will give it”—when you have it with you.
29 (CA)Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who (CB)dwells trustingly beside you.
30 (CC)Do not contend with a man for no reason,
when he has done you no harm.
31 (CD)Do not envy (CE)a man of violence
and do not choose any of his ways,
32 for (CF)the devious person is an abomination to the Lord,
but the upright are (CG)in his confidence.
33 (CH)The Lord's curse is on the house of the wicked,
but he (CI)blesses the dwelling of the righteous.
34 Toward the (CJ)scorners he (CK)is scornful,
(CL)but to the humble he gives favor.[i]
35 The wise will inherit honor,
but fools get[j] disgrace.
A Father's Wise Instruction
4 (CM)Hear, O sons, a father's instruction,
and be attentive, that you may (CN)gain[k] insight,
2 for I give you good (CO)precepts;
do not forsake my teaching.
3 When I was a son with my father,
(CP)tender, (CQ)the only one in the sight of my mother,
4 he (CR)taught me and said to me,
(CS)“Let your heart hold fast my words;
(CT)keep my commandments, and live.
5 (CU)Get wisdom; get (CV)insight;
do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth.
6 Do not forsake her, and she will keep you;
(CW)love her, and she will guard you.
7 (CX)The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom,
and whatever you get, get (CY)insight.
8 Prize her highly, and she will exalt you;
she will (CZ)honor you (DA)if you embrace her.
9 She will place on your head (DB)a graceful garland;
she will bestow on you a beautiful crown.”
10 (DC)Hear, (DD)my son, and accept my words,
that (DE)the years of your life may be many.
11 I have (DF)taught you the way of wisdom;
I have led you in the paths of uprightness.
12 When you walk, (DG)your step will not be hampered,
and (DH)if you run, you will not stumble.
13 (DI)Keep hold of instruction; do not let go;
guard her, for she is your (DJ)life.
14 (DK)Do not enter the path of the wicked,
and do not walk in the way of the evil.
15 Avoid it; do not go on it;
turn away from it and pass on.
16 For they (DL)cannot sleep unless they have done wrong;
they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.
17 For they eat the bread of wickedness
(DM)and drink the wine of violence.
18 But (DN)the path of the righteous is like (DO)the light of dawn,
which shines (DP)brighter and brighter until (DQ)full day.
19 (DR)The way of the wicked is like deep (DS)darkness;
they do not know over what they (DT)stumble.
20 (DU)My son, be attentive to my words;
incline your ear to my sayings.
21 (DV)Let them not escape from your sight;
(DW)keep them within your heart.
22 For they are (DX)life to those who find them,
and healing to all their[l] flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
for (DY)from it flow (DZ)the springs of life.
24 Put away from you (EA)crooked speech,
and put (EB)devious talk far from you.
25 (EC)Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
26 (ED)Ponder[m] the path of your feet;
(EE)then all your ways will be sure.
27 (EF)Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
turn your foot away from evil.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew strange
- Proverbs 2:16 Hebrew foreign woman
- Proverbs 2:18 Hebrew to the Rephaim
- Proverbs 3:4 Or repute
- Proverbs 3:8 Hebrew navel
- Proverbs 3:8 Or medicine
- Proverbs 3:25 Hebrew storm
- Proverbs 3:27 Hebrew Do not withhold good from its owners
- Proverbs 3:34 Or grace
- Proverbs 3:35 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Proverbs 4:1 Hebrew know
- Proverbs 4:22 Hebrew his
- Proverbs 4:26 Or Make level
John 19:23-42
English Standard Version
23 (A)When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his garments and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier; also his tunic.[a] But the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, 24 so they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be.” (B)This was to fulfill the Scripture which says,
(C)“They divided my garments among them,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
So the soldiers did these things, 25 (D)but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and (E)the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, (F)“Woman, behold, your son!” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” And from that hour the disciple took her to (G)his own home.
The Death of Jesus
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now (H)finished, said ((I)to fulfill the Scripture), (J)“I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, (K)so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, (L)“It is finished,” and he bowed his head and (M)gave up his spirit.
Jesus' Side Is Pierced
31 Since it was (N)the day of Preparation, and (O)so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was (P)a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other (Q)who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out (R)blood and water. 35 (S)He who saw it has borne witness—(T)his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth—(U)that you also may believe. 36 (V)For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: (W)“Not one of his bones (X)will be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, (Y)“They will look on him whom they have pierced.”
Jesus Is Buried
38 (Z)After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly (AA)for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body. 39 (AB)Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus[b] by night, came (AC)bringing a mixture of (AD)myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds[c] in weight. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and (AE)bound it in (AF)linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a (AG)garden, and (AH)in the garden a new tomb (AI)in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So because of the Jewish (AJ)day of Preparation, (AK)since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 19:23 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
- John 19:39 Greek him
- John 19:39 Greek one hundred litras; a litra (or Roman pound) was equal to about 11 1/2 ounces or 327 grams
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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