Old/New Testament
The Praise of Wisdom[a]
Chapter 28
Where Can Wisdom Be Found?[b]
1 “There are mines for silver
and places where gold is refined.
2 Iron is extracted from the earth,
and copper is smelted from ore.
3 Miners penetrate the darkness;
they search to the farthest recesses
to discover the ore hidden in gloom and shadow.
4 They open shafts in uninhabited places,
swinging suspended, far away from anyone.
5 “While grain is coming forth from the earth above,
what lies beneath is ravaged by fire.
6 Its rocks are the enclosure for sapphires,
and there is gold contained in its dust.
7 No bird of prey knows the path there;
the eye of a falcon has not seen it.
8 Proud beasts have not trodden it;
no lion has ever passed over it.
9 “Man begins to assail the granite rock
and overturns the mountains at their foundations.
10 He cuts channels into the rocks,
and his eyes behold precious gems.
11 He explores the sources of the streams
and brings hidden riches to light.
12 But where can wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Wisdom Cannot Be Purchased[c]
13 “No one knows the way to it,
nor is it to be found in the land of the living.
14 The abyss declares, ‘It is not in me.’
The sea says, ‘I do not have it.’
15 It cannot be purchased with gold,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
16 “It cannot be acquired with the gold of Ophir,
nor with precious onyx or sapphire.
17 Gold or crystal[d] cannot be compared to it,
nor can it be exchanged for vessels of gold.
18 Neither coral nor alabaster deserve to be mentioned;
the price of wisdom is beyond pearls.
19 Topaz from Ethiopia is worthless in comparison to it,
nor can it be valued in terms of pure gold.
20 “Where then is the source of wisdom?
Where is intelligence to be found?
God Alone Knows Where Wisdom Can Be Found[e]
21 “It cannot be seen by the eye of any living creature;
it is even concealed from the birds of the air.
22 Abaddon and the netherworld[f] admit,
‘We have only heard rumors of it.’
23 “God alone understands the path to wisdom;
he alone knows where it can be found.
24 For he can observe the farthest ends of the earth,
and he sees everything under the heavens.
25 “When God regulated the force of the wind
and measured out the waters,
26 when he imposed a limit for the rain
and cleared a path for the thunderbolt,
27 then he saw wisdom and evaluated it,
established it and assessed it completely.
28 And then he declared to man:
‘The fear of the Lord is wisdom,
and to turn from evil is understanding.’ ”
Job’s Final Speech: His Appeal to God
Chapter 29
The Happy Time.[g] 1 Then Job continued further with his solemn discourse, as he said:
2 “Oh, how I yearn for the months long gone
and for those days when God kept watch over me,
3 when his lamp continued to shine above my head
and by his light I could walk through darkness.
4 “In those days I was in my prime,
and God protected my tent.
5 The Almighty was ever present at my side,
and my children were around me.
6 My feet were bathed in milk,
and the rocks poured forth streams of oil[h] for me.
7 “When I would go forth to the gate of the city[i]
and take my seat in the public square,
8 the young men would see me and withdraw,
and the old men would rise to their feet.
9 The nobles would refrain from speaking
and would place their hands over their mouths.
10 The voices of the princes were silenced,
and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.
People Praised My Works
11 “Whoever heard my words spoke favorably of me,
and those who saw me testified to my merit,
12 because I delivered the poor who appealed for help
and the orphan who had no one to protect him.
13 The blessing of the wretched was given to me,
and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy.
14 “I put on righteousness as my garment;
justice was my cloak and my turban.
15 I was eyes to the blind
and feet to the lame.
16 I was a father to the needy,
and I defended the rights of the stranger.
17 I broke the fangs of the wicked
and snatched their prey from their teeth.
18 “Then I thought, ‘I will die in honor
after having multiplied my days like grains of sand,[j]
19 with my roots spreading out to the waters
and the dew lying on my branches throughout the night.
20 My glory will be forever new
and the bow in my hand forever strong.’
21 [k]“Men waited expectantly to hear my words
and listened in silence to my counsel.
22 Once I had spoken, no one spoke further
but simply let my thoughts penetrate their minds.
23 They waited for me as for the rain,
with open mouths as though to drink in a spring shower.
24 “When I smiled at them, they were filled with gratitude,
and they were clearly strengthened because of the way I treated them.
25 As their leader I told them which course to follow,
and I lived like a king among his troops,
or as a comforter of mourners.
Antioch[a]
Paul’s First Missionary Journey[b]
Chapter 13
Barnabas and Paul Sent Out on Mission.[c] 1 In the Church at Antioch, there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 On one occasion, while they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me to do the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, after completing their fasting and prayer, they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
4 Having been sent on their mission by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia,[d] and from there they set sail for Cyprus. 5 When they arrived in Salamis,[e] they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues, while John served as their assistant.
At Cyprus Facing a Proconsul and a Magician.[f] 6 When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos,[g] they encountered a magician named Bar-Jesus, who was a Jewish false prophet. 7 He was an attendant of the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a learned man who had summoned Barnabas and Saul because he wanted to hear the word of God. 8 However, the magician Elymas (for that is the translation of his name) opposed them in an attempt to prevent the proconsul’s conversion to the faith.
9 Then Saul, also known as Paul,[h] filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at Elymas 10 and said, “You offspring of the devil, you enemy of righteousness, filled with every kind of deceit and fraud, will you never cease to pervert the straight paths of the Lord? 11 Now take note of how the hand of the Lord will strike you. You will be blind, and for a period of time you will not be able to see the sun.” Immediately, he was enveloped in a dark mist, and he groped about for someone to lead him by the hand. 12 When the proconsul saw what had happened, he became a believer, having been deeply impressed by the teaching of the Lord.
13 Paul’s Arrival at Antioch in Pisidia.[i]Paul and his companions set sail from Paphos and arrived at Perga[j] in Pamphylia. There, John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 Then they went on from Perga and arrived at Antioch[k] in Pisidia.
On the Sabbath, they went into the synagogue and took their seats. 15 After the readings from the Law and the Prophets, the officials of the synagogue sent this message to them, “Brethren, if you have any words of exhortation to offer to the people, please do so.”
16 Paul’s Speech in the Synagogue. Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak, saying, “Listen, men of Israel and you others who fear God![l] 17 The God of this people Israel chose our ancestors and made our people great while they were dwelling as foreigners in Egypt. With uplifted arm, he led them out, 18 and for about forty years he endured their conduct in the desert.
19 “After he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, he gave their land to his people as their inheritance 20 at the end of about four hundred and fifty years.[m] After that, he appointed judges for them until the time of the prophet Samuel.
21 “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul, son of Kish, a man from the tribe of Benjamin. He reigned for forty years, 22 after which God removed him and raised up David as their king. In commending him, he said, ‘I have found David, the son of Jesse, to be a man after my own heart. He will carry out my every wish.’
23 “From this man’s descendants, God has fulfilled his promise by raising up for Israel a savior, Jesus. 24 Prior to his coming, John had already proclaimed a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John was nearing the end of his work, he said, ‘I am not the one you believe me to be. One is coming after me whose sandals I am not worthy to unfasten.’
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