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Proverbs 9-10 (Listen)

The Way of Wisdom

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

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

The Way of Folly

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

The Proverbs of Solomon

10:1 The proverbs of Solomon.

A wise son makes a glad father,
  but a foolish son is a sorrow to his mother.
Treasures gained by wickedness do not profit,
  but righteousness delivers from death.
The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry,
  but he thwarts the craving of the wicked.
A slack hand causes poverty,
  but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in summer is a prudent son,
  but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.
Blessings are on the head of the righteous,
  but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
The memory of the righteous is a blessing,
  but the name of the wicked will rot.
The wise of heart will receive commandments,
  but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
  but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.
Whoever winks the eye causes trouble,
  but a babbling fool will come to ruin.
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
  but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
Hatred stirs up strife,
  but love covers all offenses.
On the lips of him who has understanding, wisdom is found,
  but a rod is for the back of him who lacks sense.
The wise lay up knowledge,
  but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near.
A rich man's wealth is his strong city;
  the poverty of the poor is their ruin.
The wage of the righteous leads to life,
  the gain of the wicked to sin.
Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life,
  but he who rejects reproof leads others astray.
The one who conceals hatred has lying lips,
  and whoever utters slander is a fool.
When words are many, transgression is not lacking,
  but whoever restrains his lips is prudent.
The tongue of the righteous is choice silver;
  the heart of the wicked is of little worth.
The lips of the righteous feed many,
  but fools die for lack of sense.
The blessing of the Lord makes rich,
  and he adds no sorrow with it. [5]
Doing wrong is like a joke to a fool,
  but wisdom is pleasure to a man of understanding.
What the wicked dreads will come upon him,
  but the desire of the righteous will be granted.
When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more,
  but the righteous is established forever.
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
  so is the sluggard to those who send him.
The fear of the Lord prolongs life,
  but the years of the wicked will be short.
The hope of the righteous brings joy,
  but the expectation of the wicked will perish.
The way of the Lord is a stronghold to the blameless,
  but destruction to evildoers.
The righteous will never be removed,
  but the wicked will not dwell in the land.
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom,
  but the perverse tongue will be cut off.
The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable,
  but the mouth of the wicked, what is perverse.

1 Corinthians 15:1-32 (Listen)

The Resurrection of Christ

15:1 Now I would remind you, brothers, [6] of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope [7] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God [8] has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.

Otherwise, what do people mean by being baptized on behalf of the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized on their behalf? Why are we in danger every hour? I protest, brothers, by my pride in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die every day! What do I gain if, humanly speaking, I fought with beasts at Ephesus? If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Footnotes

[1] 9:6 Or Leave the company of the simple
[2] 9:9 Hebrew lacks instruction
[3] 9:13 Or full of simpleness
[4] 9:18 Hebrew Rephaim
[5] 10:22 Or and toil adds nothing to it
[6] 15:1 Or brothers and sisters; also verses 6, 31, 50, 58
[7] 15:19 Or we have hoped
[8] 15:27 Greek he