Such wisdom does not come down from heaven; it belongs to the world, it is unspiritual and demonic.

But if any of you lack wisdom, you should pray to God, who will give it to you; because God gives generously and graciously to all.

Every good gift and every perfect present comes from heaven; it comes down from God, the Creator of the heavenly lights, who does not change or cause darkness by turning.

and he said to them, "We will never find a better man than Joseph, a man who has God's spirit in him."

The king said to Joseph, "God has shown you all this, so it is obvious that you have greater wisdom and insight than anyone else.

Moses called Bezalel, Oholiab, and all the other skilled men to whom the LORD had given ability and who were willing to help, and Moses told them to start working.

So give me the wisdom I need to rule your people with justice and to know the difference between good and evil. Otherwise, how would I ever be able to rule this great people of yours?"

I will do what you have asked. I will give you more wisdom and understanding than anyone has ever had before or will ever have again.

When the people of Israel heard of Solomon's decision, they were all filled with deep respect for him, because they knew then that God had given him the wisdom to settle disputes fairly.

And may the LORD your God give you insight and wisdom so that you may govern Israel according to his Law.

But where can wisdom be found? Where can we learn to understand?

God alone knows the way, Knows the place where wisdom is found,

God said to us humans, "To be wise, you must have reverence for the Lord. To understand, you must turn from evil."

It is the LORD who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding.

The spirit of the LORD will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He will know the LORD's will and honor him,

and find pleasure in obeying him. He will not judge by appearance or hearsay;

God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in literature and philosophy. In addition, he gave Daniel skill in interpreting visions and dreams.

because I will give you such words and wisdom that none of your enemies will be able to refute or contradict what you say.

Yet I do proclaim a message of wisdom to those who are spiritually mature. But it is not the wisdom that belongs to this world or to the powers that rule this world---powers that are losing their power.

The wisdom I proclaim is God's secret wisdom, which is hidden from human beings, but which he had already chosen for our glory even before the world was made.

The Spirit gives one person a message full of wisdom, while to another person the same Spirit gives a message full of knowledge.

Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites!

He will come to judge like one who refines and purifies silver. As a metalworker refines silver and gold, so the LORD's messenger will purify the priests, so that they will bring to the LORD the right kind of offerings.

"Happy are the pure in heart; they will see God!

In conclusion, my friends, fill your minds with those things that are good and that deserve praise: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, and honorable.

Everything is pure to those who are themselves pure; but nothing is pure to those who are defiled and unbelieving, for their minds and consciences have been defiled.

Everyone who has this hope in Christ keeps himself pure, just as Christ is pure.

He did, however, make me a promise. He said, 'You will have a son who will rule in peace, because I will give him peace from all his enemies. His name will be Solomon, because during his reign I will give Israel peace and security.

He will settle disputes among great nations. They will hammer their swords into plows and their spears into pruning knives. Nations will never again go to war, never prepare for battle again.

A child is born to us! A son is given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, "Wonderful Counselor," "Mighty God," "Eternal Father," "Prince of Peace."

His royal power will continue to grow; his kingdom will always be at peace. He will rule as King David's successor, basing his power on right and justice, from now until the end of time. The LORD Almighty is determined to do all this.

The spirit of the LORD will give him wisdom and the knowledge and skill to rule his people. He will know the LORD's will and honor him,

he will judge the poor fairly and defend the rights of the helpless. At his command the people will be punished, and evil persons will die.

Wolves and sheep will live together in peace, and leopards will lie down with young goats. Calves and lion cubs will feed together, and little children will take care of them.

Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.

But once more God will send us his spirit. The wasteland will become fertile, and fields will produce rich crops.

Because everyone will do what is right, there will be peace and security forever.

Do everything possible on your part to live in peace with everybody.

Try to be at peace with everyone, and try to live a holy life, because no one will see the Lord without it.

He will take care of his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs together and carry them in his arms; he will gently lead their mothers.

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud;

love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth.

I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you---I who am said to be meek and mild when I am with you, but harsh with you when I am away. By the gentleness and kindness of Christ

But the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

humility, and self-control. There is no law against such things as these.

for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth.

even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you. But we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children.

As the Lord's servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher,

Tell them not to speak evil of anyone, but to be peaceful and friendly, and always to show a gentle attitude toward everyone.

The Word became a human being and, full of grace and truth, lived among us. We saw his glory, the glory which he received as the Father's only Son.

In Joppa there was a woman named Tabitha, who was a believer. (Her name in Greek is Dorcas, meaning "a deer.") She spent all her time doing good and helping the poor.

Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and many people were brought to the Lord.

My friends: I myself feel sure that you are full of goodness, that you have all knowledge, and that you are able to teach one another.

And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity.

Your lives will be filled with the truly good qualities which only Jesus Christ can produce, for the glory and praise of God.

Then you will be able to live as the Lord wants and will always do what pleases him. Your lives will produce all kinds of good deeds, and you will grow in your knowledge of God.

then you are guilty of creating distinctions among yourselves and of making judgments based on evil motives.

So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike."

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the holy angels I solemnly call upon you to obey these instructions without showing any prejudice or favor to anyone in anything you do.

A fool speaks foolishly and thinks up evil things to do. What he does and what he says are an insult to the LORD, and he never feeds the hungry or gives thirsty people anything to drink.

In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins.

As thousands of people crowded together, so that they were stepping on each other, Jesus said first to his disciples, "Be on guard against the yeast of the Pharisees---I mean their hypocrisy.

Whatever is covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known.

When Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, he said about him, "Here is a real Israelite; there is nothing false in him!"

Love must be completely sincere. Hate what is evil, hold on to what is good.

Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.

Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.

My children, our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love, which shows itself in action.