Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
12 Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14 (A)He makes peace in your borders,
And (B)fills you with [a]the finest wheat.
15 (C)He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16 (D)He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17 He casts out His hail like [b]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18 (E)He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19 (F)He declares His word to Jacob,
(G)His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20 (H)He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[c]Praise the Lord!
The Beginning of Knowledge
1 The (A)proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction,
To [a]perceive the words of understanding,
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom,
Justice, judgment, and equity;
4 To give prudence to the (B)simple,
To the young man knowledge and discretion—
5 (C)A wise man will hear and increase learning,
And a man of understanding will [b]attain wise counsel,
6 To understand a proverb and an enigma,
The words of the wise and their (D)riddles.
7 (E)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Heavenly Versus Demonic Wisdom
13 (A)Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have (B)bitter envy and [a]self-seeking in your hearts, (C)do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 (D)This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For (E)where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But (F)the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, (G)without partiality (H)and without hypocrisy. 18 (I)Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.