Proverbs 8

²⁰Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square;

²¹in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech:

³This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.

¹Wisdom has built her house; she has carved out her seven pillars.

²She has prepared her meat and mixed her wine; she has also set her table.

⁸But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

¹⁰And the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.

¹⁴She sits at the door of her house, on a seat in the heights of the city,

³She has sent out her maidservants; she calls out from the heights of the city.

⁷When I went out to the city gate and took my seat in the public square,

²¹The servant returned and reported all this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the city, and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’

²²‘Sir,’ the servant replied, ‘what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’

⁹Go therefore to the crossroads and invite to the banquet as many as you can find.’

²⁰“Go, stand in the temple courts and tell the people the full message of this new life.”

²⁰“I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus answered. “I always taught in the synagogues and at the temple, where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.

¹⁵He who has ears, let him hear.

¹A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from where the sun rises to where it sets.

¹⁶For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

¹For the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples; listen, all inhabitants of the world,

²both low and high, rich and poor alike.

¹⁷The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” Let the one who hears say, “Come!” And let the one who is thirsty come, and the one who desires the water of life drink freely.

⁴who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

⁵For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

²²“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?

¹⁸to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’

⁴“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!” she says to him who lacks judgment.

¹⁷You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

⁹Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts,

¹⁰nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

⁷The Law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is trustworthy, making wise the simple.

²⁶the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.

²⁸When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,

²⁹because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.

³⁵So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”

²For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

¹⁶My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.

²⁰My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

²¹Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.

³⁰The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.

¹⁴Jesus replied, “Even if I testify about Myself, My testimony is valid, because I know where I came from and where I am going. But you do not know where I came from or where I am going.

¹⁷Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

²²Lying lips are detestable to the Lord, but those who deal faithfully are His delight.

⁴For truly my words are free of falsehood; one perfect in knowledge is with you.

¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

⁴⁶“Never has anyone spoken like this man!” the officers answered.

¹³To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.

⁶The words of the Lord are flawless, like silver refined in a furnace, like gold purified sevenfold.

⁵His people have acted corruptly toward Him; the blemish on them is not that of His children, but of a perverse and crooked generation.

²³By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance.

¹Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments? Who is this robed in splendor, marching in the greatness of His strength? “It is I, proclaiming vindication, mighty to save.”

⁶A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

⁵Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

¹⁷If anyone desires to do His will, he will know whether My teaching is from God or whether I speak on My own.

¹²Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the path chosen for him.

¹³His soul will dwell in prosperity, and his descendants will inherit the land.

⁴⁵It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—

²⁴The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.

⁴if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure,

⁵then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God.

¹²⁷Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.

⁷²The law from Your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

²³Invest in truth and never sell it—in wisdom and instruction and understanding.

¹³Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked has little worth.

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.

¹⁵She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire compares with her.

⁵Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.

⁶Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.

¹⁶How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver.

¹²⁷Therefore I love Your commandments more than gold, even the purest gold.

¹⁰They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.

¹⁵There is an abundance of gold and rubies, but lips of knowledge are a rare treasure.

²⁶For his God instructs and teaches him properly.

³⁰Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.

³And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship,

⁴to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze,

³³O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

⁴To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young,

¹¹In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will,

¹⁰Hate evil, O you who love the Lord! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

⁶By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns aside from evil.

³Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by Him actions are weighed.

²⁴Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.

²²Abstain from every form of evil.

¹⁵Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”

¹⁹Wisdom makes the wise man stronger than ten rulers in a city.

⁶For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

³³O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

³⁴“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

¹⁴Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?

¹⁶And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength, but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”

¹⁷The calm words of the wise are heeded over the shouts of a ruler among fools.

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

⁷He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk with integrity,

¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.

²¹He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.

¹⁶And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND Lord OF LORDS.

¹³In my vision in the night I continued to watch, and I saw One like the Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence.

¹⁴And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

³²You will be driven away from mankind to live with the beasts of the field, and you will feed on grass like an ox. And seven times will pass you by, until you acknowledge that the Most High rules over the kingdom of mankind and gives it to whom He wishes.”

²³Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

²¹Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.”

¹⁴“Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him.

⁶Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near.

¹⁹We love because He first loved us.

³⁰Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I did indeed say that your house and the house of your father would walk before Me forever. But now the Lord declares: Far be it from Me! For I will honor those who honor Me, but those who despise Me will be disdained.

¹⁶Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor.

³³But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.

¹¹So if you have not been faithful with worldly wealth, who will entrust you with true riches?

¹²And if you have not been faithful with the belongings of another, who will give you belongings of your own?

¹⁹And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

⁸Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

¹⁸I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.

¹⁴for she is more profitable than silver, and her gain is better than fine gold.

²⁰The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked has little worth.

¹²For wisdom, like money, is a shelter, and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

¹⁰Receive my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than pure gold.

²⁷My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.

²⁸I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.

⁸I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will give you counsel and watch over you.

³²So be careful to do as the Lord your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left.

¹¹I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

¹²When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.

²²When you walk, they will guide you; when you lie down, they will watch over you; when you awake, they will speak to you.

³And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.

⁴and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

⁴through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure.

¹⁴But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.

⁴⁶And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

³⁴You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, knowing that you yourselves had a better and permanent possession.

¹¹You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand.

¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁹The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.

²⁴How many are Your works, O Lord! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.

²⁶when He set a limit for the rain and a path for the thunderbolt,

²⁷then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.

²⁴Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

⁵And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.

²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

²But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

⁶“I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes, which we have gazed upon and touched with our own hands—this is the Word of life.

²And this is the life that was revealed; we have seen it and testified to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us.

²⁰By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.

⁹This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him.

²Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

⁵For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”?

²⁰The Father loves the Son and shows Him all He does. And to your amazement, He will show Him even greater works than these.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

²Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.

⁷Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills?

⁸Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

⁴Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

⁵Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?

²⁵In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

²⁶They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing You will change them, and they will be passed on.

¹⁰And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

¹In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

²Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

²²He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

¹⁰He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

¹⁹The Lord founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding.

⁵By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever.

¹⁶For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

¹²The Lord made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

⁹You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.

²²Do you not fear Me?” declares the Lord. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

⁹And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so.

¹⁰God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

⁷He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses.

⁵He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

⁴Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

⁵Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

²He was with God in the beginning.

¹⁸No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.

¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

²⁸I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”

¹“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.

²⁸Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”

³As for the saints in the land, they are the excellence in whom all my delight resides.

¹It was now just before the Passover Feast, and Jesus knew that His hour had come to leave this world and return to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the very end.

⁶Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but my ears You have opened. Burnt offerings and sin offerings You did not require.

⁷Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll:

⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

³⁴Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

¹Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord.

²Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart.

¹A song of ascents. Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in His ways!

¹Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

²But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.

⁷So now, my sons, listen to me, and do not turn aside from the words of my mouth.

²⁴Now, my sons, listen to me, and attend to the words of my mouth.

¹Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

¹¹But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.

¹²So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

⁸Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother.

¹My son, pay attention to my wisdom; incline your ear to my insight,

²for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight,

³and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity.

¹⁶But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”

¹⁷Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

²⁴Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

²⁸But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

¹³Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who acquires understanding,

⁴One thing I have asked of the Lord; this is what I desire: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and seek Him in His temple.

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

³⁹She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to His message.

³⁶Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him.”

¹¹And this is that testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.

¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

²The good man obtains favor from the Lord, but the Lord condemns a man who devises evil.

⁸More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ

³Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.

³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

³²He who ignores discipline despises himself, but whoever heeds correction gains understanding.

³¹So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

²³Whoever hates Me hates My Father as well.

²⁴If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

²²If anyone does not love the Lord, let him be under a curse. Come, O Lord!

¹Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

²The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.