Wisdom Forsakes the Wicked

¹Love justice, you rulers of the earth.

Think of the Lord in the right way,

and seek him with a sincere heart,

²for he is found by those who trust him,

and he shows himself to those who have faith in him.

³Dishonest thinking separates people from God.

When his power is put to the test,

it exposes fools for what they are.

⁴Wisdom will not enter an evil person,

nor will it dwell in a person enslaved by sin.

⁵Someone with a disciplined, holy spirit will flee from deceit,

abandon foolish thoughts,

and withdraw when sin intrudes.

⁶Wisdom is a spirit that is kind to humanity,

but it holds blasphemers accountable for what they say.

God knows their innermost being;

he sees what is truly in their hearts

and listens to them speak.

⁷The Spirit of the Lord fills the whole world;

he holds all things together

and knows every word that is spoken.

⁸Therefore, those who speak unjustly cannot escape notice.

Justice will certainly punish them.

⁹The thoughts of the ungodly will be carefully examined;

their words will be reported to the Lord,

and he will convict them of their sins.

¹⁰His jealous ear hears all things;

he does not ignore the sound of complaining.

¹¹So be sure you don’t engage in pointless grumbling,

and keep your tongue from finding fault.

Even what you say in private has consequences,

and a lying tongue destroys the soul.

¹²Do not court death by living a life of error;

do not destroy yourself by your own actions.

¹³God did not make death,

and he takes no pleasure in the destruction of the living.

¹⁴He created all things so that they could exist,

and everything he created is inclined toward wellness.

There is no destructive poison in them.

The grave has no power on earth,

¹⁵for righteousness is immortal.

¹⁶But the wicked invite death by their deeds and words.

They consider death a friend, so they long for him.

They have made a covenant with him

because they belong together.