Proverbs 9:1-18

Wisdom has built herself a palace upon seven pillars to keep it secure. She has made ready a banquet feast and the sacrifice has been killed. She has mingled her wine, and the table’s all set. She has sent out her maidens, crying out from the high place, inviting everyone to come and eat until they’re full. “Whoever wants to know me and receive my wisdom, come and dine at my table and drink of my wine. Lay aside your simple thoughts and leave your paths behind. Agree with my ways, live in my truth, and you will find righteousness.” If you try to correct an arrogant cynic, expect an angry insult in return. And if you try to confront an evil man, don’t be surprised if all you get is a slap in the face! So don’t even bother to correct a mocker, for he’ll only hate you for it. But go ahead and correct the wise; they’ll love you even more. Teach a wise man what is right and he’ll grow even wiser. Instruct the lovers of God and they’ll learn even more. The starting point for acquiring wisdom is to be consumed with awe as you worship YAHWEH. To receive the revelation of the Holy One, you must come to the one who has living-understanding. Wisdom will extend your life, making every year more fruitful than the one before. So it is to your advantage to be wise. But to ignore the counsel of wisdom is to invite trouble into your life. There is a spirit named Foolish, who is boisterous and brash; she’s seductive and restless. And there she sits at the gateway to the high places, on her throne overlooking the city. She preaches to all who walk by her who are clueless as to what is happening: “Come home with me.” She invites those who are easily led astray, saying, “Illicit sex is the best sex of all. Our secret affair will be sweeter than all others.” Little do they know when they answer her call that she dwells among the spirits of the dead, and all her guests soon become citizens of hell!