⁶ The hater of authority, searching for wisdom, does not get it; but knowledge comes readily to the open-minded man.

⁵ But if any man among you is without wisdom, let him make his request to God, who gives freely to all without an unkind word, and it will be given to him.

¹¹ And he said to them in answer, To you is given the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

¹² Because whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have more; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

²⁵ At that time Jesus made answer and said, I give praise to you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have kept these things secret from the wise and the men of learning, and have made them clear to little children.

²⁶ Yes, Father, for so it was pleasing in your eyes.

²⁷ All things have been given to me by my Father; and no one has knowledge of the Son, but the Father; and no one has knowledge of the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will make it clear.

²⁴ Wisdom is before the face of him who has sense; but the eyes of the foolish are on the ends of the earth.

⁹ They are all true to him whose mind is awake, and straightforward to those who get knowledge.

³ Having first of all the knowledge that in the last days there will be men who, ruled by their evil desires, will make sport of holy things,

⁴ Saying, Where is the hope of his coming? From the death of the fathers till now everything has gone on as it was from the making of the world.

⁵ But in taking this view they put out of their minds the memory that in the old days there was a heaven, and an earth lifted out of the water and circled by water, by the word of God;

² If anyone seems to himself to have knowledge, so far he has not the right sort of knowledge about anything;

¹⁸ Let no man have a false idea. If any man seems to himself to be wise among you, let him become foolish, so that he may be wise.

¹⁹ For the wisdom of this world is foolish before God. As it is said in the holy Writings, He who takes the wise in their secret designs:

³¹ But Israel, going after a law of righteousness, did not get it.

³² Why? Because they were not searching for it by faith, but by works. They came up against the stone which was in the way;

²¹ Because, having the knowledge of God, they did not give glory to God as God, and did not give praise, but their minds were full of foolish things, and their hearts, being without sense, were made dark.

²² Seeming to be wise, they were in fact foolish,

²³ And by them the glory of the eternal God was changed and made into the image of man who is not eternal, and of birds and beasts and things which go on the earth.

²⁴ For this reason God gave them up to the evil desires of their hearts, working shame in their bodies with one another:

²⁵ Because by them the true word of God was changed into that which is false, and they gave worship and honour to the thing which is made, and not to him who made it, to whom be blessing for ever. So be it.

²⁶ For this reason God gave them up to evil passions, and their women were changing the natural use into one which is unnatural:

²⁷ And in the same way the men gave up the natural use of the woman and were burning in their desire for one another, men doing shame with men, and getting in their bodies the right reward of their evil-doing.

²⁸ And because they had not the mind to keep God in their knowledge, God gave them up to an evil mind, to do those things which are not right;

²² The light of the body is the eye; if then your eye is true, all your body will be full of light.

²³ But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark. If then the light which is in you is dark, how dark it will be!

⁹ The wise men are shamed, they are overcome with fear and taken: see, they have given up the word of the Lord; and what use is their wisdom to them?

²⁰ Then say to them, Put your faith in the teaching and the witness. ... If they do not say such things. ... For him there is no dawn. ...

¹² Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.

² A foolish man has no pleasure in good sense, but only to let what is in his heart come to light.

⁹⁸ Your teaching has made me wiser than my haters: for it is mine for ever.

⁹⁹ I have more knowledge than all my teachers, because I give thought to your unchanging word.

¹⁰⁰ I have more wisdom than the old, because I have kept your orders.

¹⁸ Let my eyes be open to see the wonders of your law.