¹ He who keeps himself separate for his private purpose goes against all good sense.

¹ My son, if you will take my words to your heart, storing up my laws in your mind;

² So that your ear gives attention to wisdom, and your heart is turned to knowledge;

³ Truly, if you are crying out for good sense, and your request is for knowledge;

⁴ If you are looking for her as for silver, and searching for her as for stored-up wealth;

⁵ Then the fear of the Lord will be clear to you, and knowledge of God will be yours.

⁶ For the Lord gives wisdom; out of his mouth come knowledge and reason:

³ It is an honour for a man to keep from fighting, but the foolish are ever at war.

¹⁹ These are the men who make divisions, natural men, not having the Spirit.

¹⁵ Take care then how you are living, not as unwise, but as wise;

¹⁶ Making good use of the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷ For this reason, then, do not be foolish, but be conscious of the Lord's pleasure.

²¹ My son, go in fear of the Lord and the king: have nothing to do with those who are in high positions:

¹⁹ He who goes about talking of the business of others gives away secrets: so have nothing to do with him whose lips are open wide.

¹⁰ No one has knowledge of a man's grief but himself; and a strange person has no part in his joy.

¹⁷ For which cause, Come out from among them, and be separate, says the Lord, and let no unclean thing come near you; and I will take you for myself,

¹ Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, an Apostle by the selection of God, given authority as a preacher of the good news,

¹¹ And he said to them, To you is given the secret of the kingdom of God, but to those who are outside, all things are given in the form of stories;

³⁵ And in the morning, a long time before daylight, he got up and went out to a quiet place, and there he gave himself up to prayer.

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.

³ And to say to the priests of the house of the Lord of armies and to the prophets, Am I to go on weeping in the fifth month, separating myself as I have done in past years?

¹⁷ I did not take my seat among the band of those who are glad, and I had no joy; I kept by myself because of your hand; for you have made me full of wrath.

¹⁷ He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.

¹⁴ The start of fighting is like the letting out of water: so give up before it comes to blows.

¹⁶ For is not the fact of your going with us the sign that I and this people have grace in your eyes, so that we, that is, I and your people, are separate from all other people on the face of the earth?

⁸ We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name.

⁹ In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.