The Enticement of Sinners
8 iHear, my son, your father’s instruction,
and forsake not your mother’s teaching,
9 for they are ja graceful garland for your head
and kpendants for your neck.
10 My son, if sinners lentice you,
do not consent.
11 If they say, “Come with us, mlet us lie in wait for blood;
nlet us ambush the innocent without reason;
12 like Sheol let us oswallow them alive,
and whole, like pthose who go down to the pit;
13 we shall find all precious goods,
we shall fill our houses with plunder;
14 throw in your lot among us;
we will all have one purse”—
15 my son, qdo not walk in the way with them;
rhold back your foot from their paths,
16 for stheir feet run to evil,
and they make haste to shed blood.
17 tFor in vain is a net spread
in the sight of any bird,
18 but these men ulie in wait for their own blood;
they uset an ambush for their own lives.
19 vSuch are the ways of everyone who is wgreedy for unjust gain;
xit takes away the life of its possessors.
The Call of Wisdom
20 yWisdom cries aloud in the street,
in the markets she raises her voice;
21 at the head of the noisy streets she cries out;
at zthe entrance of the city gates she speaks:
22 “How long, O asimple ones, will you love being simple?
How long will bscoffers delight in their scoffing
and fools chate knowledge?
23 If you turn at my reproof,1
behold, I will dpour out my spirit to you;
I will make my words known to you.
24 eBecause I have called and fyou refused to listen,
have gstretched out my hand and no one has heeded,
25 because you have hignored all my counsel
and iwould have none of my reproof,
26 I also jwill laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when kterror strikes you,
27 when terror strikes you like la storm
and your calamity comes like a whirlwind,
when distress and anguish come upon you.
28 mThen they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently but will not find me.
29 Because they chated knowledge
and ndid not choose the fear of the Lord,
30 hwould have none of my counsel
and idespised all my reproof,
31 therefore they shall eat othe fruit of their way,
and have ptheir fill of their own devices.
32 For the simple are killed by qtheir turning away,
and rthe complacency of fools destroys them;
33 but swhoever listens to me will dwell secure
and will be tat ease, without dread of disaster.”
I Am the Resurrection and the Life
17 Now when Jesus came, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb bfour days. 18 Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles1 off, 19 and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary cto console them concerning their brother. 20 dSo when Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, but Mary remained seated in the house. 21 Martha said to eJesus, “Lord, fif you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But even now I know that whatever you ask from God, gGod will give you.” 23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 hMartha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in ithe resurrection on the last day.” 25 Jesus said to her, j“I am the resurrection and kthe life.2 Whoever believes in me, lthough he die, myet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me nshall never die. Do you believe this?” 27 She said to him, “Yes, Lord; oI believe that pyou are the Christ, the Son of God, qwho is coming into the world.”
Jesus Weeps
28 When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary, saying in private, r“The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” 29 And when she heard it, she rose quickly and went to him. 30 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha had met him. 31 When the Jews swho were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary rise quickly and go out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there. 32 Now when Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet, saying to him, t“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” 33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he uwas deeply moved3 in his spirit and vgreatly troubled. 34 And he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” 35 wJesus wept. 36 So the Jews said, “See xhow he loved him!” 37 But some of them said, “Could not he ywho opened the eyes of the blind man zalso have kept this man from dying?”
