September 10: Proverbs 9–10; Psalm 67; John 7

Proverbs 9–10 (Listen)

The Way of Wisdom

9Wisdom has built her house;
she has hewn her seven pillars.
2She has slaughtered her beasts; she has mixed her wine;
she has also set her table.
3She has sent out her young women to call
from the highest places in the town,
4“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
To him who lacks sense she says,
5“Come, eat of my bread
and drink of the wine I have mixed.
6Leave your simple ways,^{Or Leave the company of the simple“>1} and live,
and walk in the way of insight.”


7Whoever corrects a scoffer gets himself abuse,
and he who reproves a wicked man incurs injury.
8Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you;
reprove a wise man, and he will love you.
9Give instruction^{Hebrew lacks instruction“>2} to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;
teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.
10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.
11For by me your days will be multiplied,
and years will be added to your life.
12If you are wise, you are wise for yourself;
if you scoff, you alone will bear it.

The Way of Folly

13The woman Folly is loud;
she is seductive^{Or full of simpleness“>3} and knows nothing.
14She sits at the door of her house;
she takes a seat on the highest places of the town,
15calling to those who pass by,
who are going straight on their way,
16“Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!”
And to him who lacks sense she says,
17“Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
18But he does not know that the dead^{Hebrew Rephaim“>4} are there,
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.

The Proverbs of Solomon

10The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
2Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
but righteousness delivers from death.
3The LORD does not let the righteous go hungry,
but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
4A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
6Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.^{Or but violence covers the mouth of the wicked; also verse 11“>5}
7The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
but the name of the wicked will rot.
8The wise of heart will receive commandments,
but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
9Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
10Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
and a babbling fool will come to ruin.
11The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
12Hatred stirs up strife,
but love covers all offenses.
13On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
14The wise lay up knowledge,
but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
15A rich man’s wealth is his strong city;
the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
16The wage of the righteous leads to life,
the gain of the wicked to sin.
17Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
18The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
and whoever utters slander is a fool.
19When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
20The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
21The lips of the righteous feed many,
but fools die for lack of sense.
22The blessing of the LORD makes rich,
and he adds no sorrow with it.^{Or and toil adds nothing to it“>6}
23Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
24What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
25When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
but the righteous is established forever.
26Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
27The fear of the LORD prolongs life,
but the years of the wicked will be short.
28The hope of the righteous brings joy,
but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
29The way of the LORD is a stronghold to the blameless,
but destruction to evildoers.
30The righteous will never be removed,
but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
31The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

(ESV)

Psalm 67 (Listen)

Make Your Face Shine upon Us

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm. A Song.

67May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us, Selah
2that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
3Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!


4Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,
for you judge the peoples with equity
and guide the nations upon earth. Selah
5Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!


6The earth has yielded its increase;
God, our God, shall bless us.
7God shall bless us;
let all the ends of the earth fear him!

(ESV)

John 7 (Listen)

Jesus at the Feast of Booths

7After this Jesus went about in Galilee. He would not go about in Judea, because the Jews^{Or Judeans; Greek Ioudaioi probably refers here to Jewish religious leaders, and others under their influence, in that time“>1} were seeking to kill him. 2Now the Jews’ Feast of Booths was at hand. 3So his brothers^{Or brothers and sisters; also verses 5, 10“>2} said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. 4For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” 5For not even his brothers believed in him. 6Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil. 8You go up to the feast. I am not^{Some manuscripts add yet“>3} going up to this feast, for my time has not yet fully come.” 9After saying this, he remained in Galilee.

10But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 11The Jews were looking for him at the feast, and saying, “Where is he?” 12And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said, “He is a good man,” others said, “No, he is leading the people astray.” 13Yet for fear of the Jews no one spoke openly of him.

14About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,^{Or this man knows his letters“>4} when he has never studied?” 16So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17If anyone’s will is to do God’s^{Greek his“>5} will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20The crowd answered, “You have a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21Jesus answered them, “I did one work, and you all marvel at it. 22Moses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath. 23If on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me because on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”

Can This Be the Christ?

25Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27But we know where this man comes from, and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But I have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30So they were seeking to arrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31Yet many of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more signs than this man has done?”

Officers Sent to Arrest Jesus

32The Pharisees heard the crowd muttering these things about him, and the chief priests and Pharisees sent officers to arrest him. 33Jesus then said, “I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me. 34You will seek me and you will not find me. Where I am you cannot come.” 35The Jews said to one another, “Where does this man intend to go that we will not find him? Does he intend to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks? 36What does he mean by saying, ‘You will seek me and you will not find me,’ and, ‘Where I am you cannot come’?”

Rivers of Living Water

37On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38Whoever believes in me, as^{Or let him come to me, and let him who believes in me drink. As“>6} the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Division Among the People

40When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This really is the Prophet.” 41Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43So there was a division among the people over him. 44Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.

45The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46The officers answered, “No one ever spoke like this man!” 47The Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived? 48Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him? 49But this crowd that does not know the law is accursed.” 50Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51“Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”

[The earliest manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11.]^{Some manuscripts do not include 7:53–8:11; others add the passage here or after 7:36 or after 21:25 or after Luke 21:38, with variations in the text“>7}

The Woman Caught in Adultery

53[[They went each to his own house,

(ESV)