The Blessings of Wisdom
1 jDoes not wisdom call?
Does not understanding raise her voice?
2 kOn the heights beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3 beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
4 “To you, O men, I call,
and my cry is to the children of man.
5 O lsimple ones, learn prudence;
O fools, mlearn sense.
6 Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right,
7 for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or ncrooked in them.
9 They are all straight to him who understands,
and right to those who find knowledge.
10 oTake my pinstruction instead of qsilver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11 for wisdom is rbetter than jewels,
and sall that you may desire cannot compare with her.
12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
and I find knowledge and discretion.
13 tThe fear of the Lord is uhatred of evil.
Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
and vperverted speech I hate.
14 I have counsel and sound wisdom;
I have insight; I have strength.
15 By me kings reign,
and rulers decree what is just;
16 by me princes rule,
and nobles, all who govern justly.1
17 I love those who love me,
and those who wseek me diligently find me.
18 Riches and honor are with me,
enduring wealth and righteousness.
19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
and my yield than xchoice silver.
20 I walk in the yway of righteousness,
in the paths of justice,
21 granting an inheritance to those who love me,
and filling their treasuries.
36 While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become rsons of light.”
The Unbelief of the People
When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them. 37 sThough he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be tfulfilled:
u“Lord, who has believed what he heard from us,
and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said,
40 v“He has blinded their eyes
and whardened their heart,
lest they see with their eyes,
and understand with their heart, and turn,
and I would heal them.”
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 42 Nevertheless, many even of xthe authorities believed in him, but yfor fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be zput out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the aglory that comes from God.
Jesus Came to Save the World
44 And Jesus cried out and said, b“Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And cwhoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as dlight, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, eI do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but fto save the world. 48 The one who grejects me and hdoes not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not ispoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—jwhat to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. kWhat I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
