Proverbs 8-9

English Standard Version

The Blessings of Wisdom

8 Does not ^(A)wisdom call?
    Does not ^(B)understanding raise her voice?
²On ^(C)the heights beside the way,
    at the crossroads she takes her stand;
³beside ^(D)the gates in front of ^(E)the town,
    at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
⁴“To you, O ^(F)men, I call,
    and my cry is to ^(G)the children of man.
⁵O ^(H)simple ones, learn ^(I)prudence;
    O ^(J)fools, learn sense.
⁶Hear, for I will speak ^(K)noble things,
    and from my lips will come ^(L)what is right,
⁷for my ^(M)mouth will utter truth;
    wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
⁸All the words of my mouth are righteous;
    there is nothing ^(N)twisted or crooked in them.
⁹They are all ^(O)straight to him who understands,
    and right to those who find knowledge.
¹⁰^(P)Take my instruction instead of silver,
    and knowledge rather than choice gold,
¹¹^(Q)for wisdom is better than jewels,
    and ^(R)all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

¹²“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
    and I find knowledge and ^(S)discretion.
¹³^(T)The fear of the Lord is ^(U)hatred of evil.
^(V)Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
    and ^(W)perverted speech I hate.
¹⁴I have ^(X)counsel and ^(Y)sound wisdom;
    I have insight; ^(Z)I have strength.
¹⁵By me ^(AA)kings reign,
    and rulers decree what is just;
¹⁶by me princes rule,
    and nobles, all who govern justly.^[a]
¹⁷^(AB)I love those who love me,
    and ^(AC)those who seek me diligently find me.
¹⁸^(AD)Riches and honor are with me,
    ^(AE)enduring wealth and ^(AF)righteousness.
¹⁹My fruit is ^(AG)better than ^(AH)gold, even fine gold,
    and my yield than ^(AI)choice silver.
²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness,
    in the paths of justice,
²¹granting an inheritance to those who love me,
    and filling their treasuries.

²²^(AJ)“The Lord ^(AK)possessed^[b] me at the beginning of his work,^[c]
    the first of his acts ^(AL)of old.
²³Ages ago I was ^(AM)set up,
    at the first, ^(AN)before the beginning of the earth.
²⁴When there were no ^(AO)depths I was ^(AP)brought forth,
    when there were no springs abounding with water.
²⁵Before the mountains ^(AQ)had been shaped,
    ^(AR)before the hills, I was brought forth,
²⁶before he had made the earth with its fields,
    or the first of the dust of the world.
²⁷When he ^(AS)established the heavens, I was there;
    when he drew ^(AT)a circle on the face of the deep,
²⁸when he ^(AU)made firm the skies above,
    when he established^[d] the fountains of the deep,
²⁹when he ^(AV)assigned to the sea its ^(AW)limit,
    so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out ^(AX)the foundations of the earth,
³⁰    then ^(AY)I was beside him, like a master workman,
and I was daily his^[e] ^(AZ)delight,
    rejoicing before him always,
³¹^(BA)rejoicing in his ^(BB)inhabited world
    and delighting in the children of man.

³²“And now, ^(BC)O sons, listen to me:
    ^(BD)blessed are those who keep my ways.
³³^(BE)Hear instruction and be wise,
    and do not neglect it.
³⁴^(BF)Blessed is the one who listens to me,
    watching daily at my gates,
    waiting beside my doors.
³⁵For ^(BG)whoever finds me ^(BH)finds life
    and ^(BI)obtains favor from the Lord,
³⁶but he who fails to find me ^(BJ)injures himself;
    all who ^(BK)hate me ^(BL)love death.”

The Way of Wisdom

9 ^(BM)Wisdom has built her house;
    she has hewn her ^(BN)seven ^(BO)pillars.
²She has ^(BP)slaughtered her beasts; she has ^(BQ)mixed her wine;
    she has also ^(BR)set her table.
³She has ^(BS)sent out her young women to ^(BT)call
    from ^(BU)the highest places in the town,
⁴^(BV)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    ^(BW)To him who lacks sense she says,
⁵“Come, ^(BX)eat of my bread
    and ^(BY)drink of ^(BZ)the wine I have mixed.
⁶Leave ^(CA)your simple ways,^[f] and ^(CB)live,
    ^(CC)and walk in the way of insight.”

⁷Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
    and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
⁸^(CD)Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
    ^(CE)reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
⁹Give instruction^[g] to a wise man, and he will be ^(CF)still wiser;
    teach a righteous man, and he will ^(CG)increase in learning.
¹⁰^(CH)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
    and ^(CI)the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
¹¹For by me ^(CJ)your days will be multiplied,
    and years will be added to your life.
¹²^(CK)If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
    if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly

¹³^(CL)The woman Folly is ^(CM)loud;
    she is seductive^[h] and ^(CN)knows nothing.
¹⁴She sits at the door of her house;
    she takes a seat on ^(CO)the highest places of the town,
¹⁵calling to those who pass by,
    who are ^(CP)going straight on their way,
¹⁶^(CQ)“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
    And to him who lacks sense she says,
¹⁷^(CR)“Stolen water is sweet,
    and ^(CS)bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
¹⁸But he does not know ^(CT)that the dead^[i] are there,
    that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

Footnotes

Proverbs 8:16 Most Hebrew manuscripts; many Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint govern the earth
Proverbs 8:22 Or fathered; Septuagint created
Proverbs 8:22 Hebrew way
Proverbs 8:28 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Proverbs 8:30 Or daily filled with
Proverbs 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
Proverbs 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
Proverbs 9:13 Or full of simpleness
Proverbs 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim

John 21

English Standard Version

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

21 After this Jesus ^(A)revealed himself ^(B)again to the disciples by ^(C)the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. ²Simon Peter, ^(D)Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of ^(E)Cana in Galilee, ^(F)the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. ³Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but ^(G)that night they caught nothing.

⁴Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples ^(H)did not know that it was Jesus. ⁵^(I)Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” ⁶^(J)He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. ⁷That disciple ^(K)whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, ^(L)he put on his outer garment, for he was ^(M)stripped for work, and ^(N)threw himself into the sea. ⁸The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards^[a] off.

⁹When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. ¹⁰Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” ¹¹So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. ¹²Jesus said to them, ^(O)“Come and ^(P)have breakfast.” Now ^(Q)none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³Jesus came and ^(R)took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. ¹⁴^(S)This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus and Peter

¹⁵When they had ^(T)finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ^(U)“Simon, ^(V)son of John, ^(W)do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed ^(X)my lambs.” ¹⁶He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, ^(Y)“Tend ^(Z)my sheep.” ¹⁷He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him ^(AA)the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, ^(AB)you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed ^(AC)my sheep. ¹⁸^(AD)Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, ^(AE)you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹(This he said to show ^(AF)by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, ^(AG)“Follow me.”

Jesus and the Beloved Apostle

²⁰Peter turned and saw ^(AH)the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, ^(AI)the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” ²¹When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” ²²Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain ^(AJ)until ^(AK)I come, what is that to you? ^(AL)You follow me!” ²³So the saying spread abroad among ^(AM)the brothers^[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

²⁴This is the disciple ^(AN)who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and ^(AO)we know ^(AP)that his testimony is true.

²⁵Now ^(AQ)there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that ^(AR)the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.