Job 28:1–28 (NIV84)

¹ “There is a mine for silver and a place where gold is refined. ² Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore. ³ Man puts an end to the darkness; he searches the farthest recesses for ore in the blackest darkness. ⁴ Far from where people dwell he cuts a shaft, in places forgotten by the foot of man; far from men he dangles and sways. ⁵ The earth, from which food comes, is transformed below as by fire; ⁶ sapphires come from its rocks, and its dust contains nuggets of gold. ⁷ No bird of prey knows that hidden path, no falcon’s eye has seen it. ⁸ Proud beasts do not set foot on it, and no lion prowls there. ⁹ Man’s hand assaults the flinty rock and lays bare the roots of the mountains. ¹⁰ He tunnels through the rock; his eyes see all its treasures. ¹¹ He searches the sources of the rivers and brings hidden things to light. ¹² “But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? ¹³ Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living. ¹⁴ The deep says, ‘It is not in me’; the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ ¹⁵ It cannot be bought with the finest gold, nor can its price be weighed in silver. ¹⁶ It cannot be bought with the gold of Ophir, with precious onyx or sapphires. ¹⁷ Neither gold nor crystal can compare with it, nor can it be had for jewels of gold. ¹⁸ Coral and jasper are not worthy of mention; the price of wisdom is beyond rubies. ¹⁹ The topaz of Cush cannot compare with it; it cannot be bought with pure gold. ²⁰ “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? ²¹ It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. ²² Destruction and Death say, ‘Only a rumor of it has reached our ears.’ ²³ God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, ²⁴ for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens. ²⁵ When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, ²⁶ when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, ²⁷ then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. ²⁸ And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’ ”

Psalm 111:1–10 (NIV84)

¹ Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly. ² Great are the works of the Lord; they are pondered by all who delight in them. ³ Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. ⁴ He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate. ⁵He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever. ⁶ He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations. ⁷ The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. ⁸ They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness. ⁹ He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name. ¹⁰ The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

Luke 5:17–32 (NIV84)

¹⁷ One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. ¹⁸ Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. ¹⁹ When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. ²⁰ When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” ²¹ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” ²² Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? ²³ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ²⁴ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins….” He said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ²⁵ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. ²⁶ Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” ²⁷ After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at his tax booth. “Follow me,” Jesus said to him, ²⁸ and Levi got up, left everything and followed him. ²⁹ Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. ³⁰ But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” ³¹ Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³² I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”