2 Corinthians 8:20

Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.

Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time.

For your obedience has become known to all. I rejoice therefore over you. But I desire to have you wise in that which is good, but innocent in that which is evil.

For I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.

The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

Brothers, don’t be children in thoughts, yet in malice be babies, but in thoughts be mature.

Only let your way of life be worthy of the Good News of Christ, that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your state, that you stand firm in one spirit, with one soul striving for the faith of the Good News;

that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,

whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”

She lay at his feet until the morning, then she rose up before one could discern another. For he said, “Let it not be known that the woman came to the threshing floor.”

Esther had not made known her people nor her relatives, because Mordecai had instructed her that she should not make it known.

Folly is joy to one who is void of wisdom, but a man of understanding keeps his way straight.

Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.

Therefore let’s not judge one another any more, but judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block in his brother’s way, or an occasion for falling.

Therefore if food causes my brother to stumble, I will eat no meat forever more, that I don’t cause my brother to stumble.

If others partake of this right over you, don’t we yet more? Nevertheless we didn’t use this right, but we bear all things, that we may cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ.

Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as do some, letters of commendation to you or from you?

Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,

“Keep far from a false charge, and don’t kill the innocent and righteous; for I will not justify the wicked.

Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

He who walks righteously and speaks blamelessly, he who despises the gain of oppressions, who gestures with his hands, refusing to take a bribe, who stops his ears from hearing of blood, and shuts his eyes from looking at evil—

Don’t trust in a neighbor. Don’t put confidence in a friend. With the woman lying in your embrace, be careful of the words of your mouth!

But, lest we cause them to stumble, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take up the first fish that comes up. When you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater coin. Take that, and give it to them for me and you.”

Be careful. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him.

They said this testing him, that they might have something to accuse him of. But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger.

Give no occasion for stumbling, whether to Jews, or to Greeks, or to the assembly of God;

for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ,

that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and may have need of nothing.

But those who are determined to be rich fall into a temptation, a snare, and many foolish and harmful lusts, such as drown men in ruin and destruction.

Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently,

and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.

I fell down before his feet to worship him. He said to me, “Look! Don’t do it! I am a fellow bondservant with you and with your brothers who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.”

Yahweh God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

and he said, “If Esau comes to the one company, and strikes it, then the company which is left will escape.”

He delivered them into the hands of his servants, every herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Pass over before me, and put a space between herd and herd.”

Israel said to Joseph, “Aren’t your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, and I will send you to them.” He said to him, “Here I am.”

Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack’s mouth of the youngest, with his grain money.” He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he will devour the prey. At evening he will divide the plunder.”

“ ‘If he can’t afford a lamb, then he shall bring his trespass offering for that in which he has sinned, two turtledoves, or two young pigeons, to Yahweh; one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering.

and shall tell them, “Hear, Israel, you draw near today to battle against your enemies. Don’t let your heart faint! Don’t be afraid, nor tremble, neither be scared of them;

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the land.” The men went up and spied out Ai.

Now may Yahweh show loving kindness and truth to you. I also will reward you for this kindness, because you have done this thing.

Two hundred men went with Absalom out of Jerusalem, who were invited, and went in their simplicity; and they didn’t know anything.

but if you return to the city, and tell Absalom, ‘I will be your servant, O king. As I have been your father’s servant in time past, so I will now be your servant; then will you defeat for me the counsel of Ahithophel.’

Then David arose, and all the people who were with him, and they passed over the Jordan. By the morning light there lacked not one of them who had not gone over the Jordan.

Then take the vial of oil, and pour it on his head, and say, ‘Yahweh says, “I have anointed you king over Israel.” ’ Then open the door, flee, and don’t wait.”

They went around in Judah, and gathered the Levites out of all the cities of Judah, and the heads of fathers’ households of Israel, and they came to Jerusalem.

But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel, said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.”

Therefore I set guards in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, in the open places. I set the people by family groups with their swords, their spears, and their bows.

I said to them, “Don’t let the gates of Jerusalem be opened until the sun is hot; and while they stand guard, let them shut the doors, and you bar them: and appoint watches of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, everyone in his watch, with everyone near his house.”

But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job didn’t sin with his lips.

The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

Therefore all the princes sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll in which you have read in the ears of the people, and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand, and came to them.

The children are impudent and stiff-hearted. I am sending you to them, and you shall tell them, ‘This is what the Lord Yahweh says.’

Why do you show me iniquity, and look at perversity? For destruction and violence are before me. There is strife, and contention rises up.

Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”

“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, which if you tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

When they heard it, they marveled, and left him, and went away.

“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season?

Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.

saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”

So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”

for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to withstand or to contradict.

He said to them, “Foolish men, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

But when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.

He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who doesn’t own the sheep, sees the wolf coming, leaves the sheep, and flees. The wolf snatches the sheep, and scatters them.

But Paul said to them, “They have beaten us publicly without a trial, men who are Romans, and have cast us into prison! Do they now release us secretly? No, most certainly, but let them come themselves and bring us out!”

Then don’t let your good be slandered,

But if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home, lest your coming together be for judgment. The rest I will set in order whenever I come.

When I arrive, I will send whoever you approve with letters to carry your gracious gift to Jerusalem.

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart.

We give no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our service may not be blamed,

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from those who desire an occasion, that in which they boast, they may be found even as we.

And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

Foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you not to obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was openly portrayed among you as crucified?

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now completed in the flesh?

Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

You are witnesses with God how holy, righteously, and blamelessly we behaved ourselves toward you who believe.

See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good for one another and for all.

Abstain from every form of evil.

See that you don’t refuse him who speaks. For if they didn’t escape when they refused him who warned on the earth, how much more will we not escape who turn away from him who warns from heaven,