My son, keep my words
        and treasure up my commandments with you;
    keep my commandments and live;
        keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;
    bind them on your fingers;
        write them on the tablet of your heart.
    Say to wisdom, “You are my sister,”
        and call insight your intimate friend,
    to keep you from the forbidden woman,
        from the adulteress with her smooth words.
    
    
    For at the window of my house
        I have looked out through my lattice,
    and I have seen among the simple,
        I have perceived among the youths,
        a young man lacking sense,
    passing along the street near her corner,
        taking the road to her house
    in the twilight, in the evening,
        at the time of night and darkness.
    
    
    And behold, the woman meets him,
        dressed as a prostitute, wily of heart.
    She is loud and wayward;
        her feet do not stay at home;
    now in the street, now in the market,
        and at every corner she lies in wait.
    She seizes him and kisses him,
        and with bold face she says to him,
    “I had to offer sacrifices,
        and today I have paid my vows;
    so now I have come out to meet you,
        to seek you eagerly, and I have found you.
    I have spread my couch with coverings,
        colored linens from Egyptian linen;
    I have perfumed my bed with myrrh,
        aloes, and cinnamon.
    Come, let us take our fill of love till morning;
        let us delight ourselves with love.
    For my husband is not at home;
        he has gone on a long journey;
    he took a bag of money with him;
        at full moon he will come home.”
    
    
    With much seductive speech she persuades him;
        with her smooth talk she compels him.
    All at once he follows her,
        as an ox goes to the slaughter,
    or as a stag is caught fast
        till an arrow pierces its liver;
    as a bird rushes into a snare;
        he does not know that it will cost him his life.
    
    
    And now, O sons, listen to me,
        and be attentive to the words of my mouth.
    Let not your heart turn aside to her ways;
        do not stray into her paths,
    for many a victim has she laid low,
        and all her slain are a mighty throng.
    Her house is the way to Sheol,
        going down to the chambers of death.
    
    
        Does not wisdom call?
        Does not understanding raise her voice?
    On the heights beside the way,
        at the crossroads she takes her stand;
    beside the gates in front of the town,
        at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:
    “To you, O men, I call,
        and my cry is to the children of man.
    O simple ones, learn prudence;
        O fools, learn sense.
    Hear, for I will speak noble things,
        and from my lips will come what is right,
    for my mouth will utter truth;
        wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
    All the words of my mouth are righteous;
        there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
    They are all straight to him who understands,
        and right to those who find knowledge.
    Take my instruction instead of silver,
        and knowledge rather than choice gold,
    for wisdom is better than jewels,
        and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.
    
    
    “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
        and I find knowledge and discretion.
    The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.
    Pride and arrogance and the way of evil
        and perverted speech I hate.
    I have counsel and sound wisdom;
        I have insight; I have strength.
    By me kings reign,
        and rulers decree what is just;
    by me princes rule,
        and nobles, all who govern justly.
    I love those who love me,
        and those who seek me diligently find me.
    Riches and honor are with me,
        enduring wealth and righteousness.
    My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold,
        and my yield than choice silver.
    I walk in the way of righteousness,
        in the paths of justice,
    granting an inheritance to those who love me,
        and filling their treasuries.
    
    
    “The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work,
        the first of his acts of old.
    Ages ago I was set up,
        at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
    When there were no depths I was brought forth,
        when there were no springs abounding with water.
    Before the mountains had been shaped,
        before the hills, I was brought forth,
    before he had made the earth with its fields,
        or the first of the dust of the world.
    When he established the heavens, I was there;
        when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
    when he made firm the skies above,
        when he established the fountains of the deep,
    when he assigned to the sea its limit,
        so that the waters might not transgress his command,
    when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
        then I was beside him, like a master workman,
    and I was daily his delight,
        rejoicing before him always,
    rejoicing in his inhabited world
        and delighting in the children of man.
    
    
    “And now, O sons, listen to me:
        blessed are those who keep my ways.
    Hear instruction and be wise,
        and do not neglect it.
    Blessed is the one who listens to me,
        watching daily at my gates,
        waiting beside my doors.
    For whoever finds me finds life
        and obtains favor from the LORD,
    but he who fails to find me injures himself;
        all who hate me love death.” (ESV)

Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

  And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

  And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel. (ESV)