Psalm 147:1–11

¹Praise the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
²The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
³He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
⁴He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
⁵Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
⁶The Lord lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.

⁷Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
⁸He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
⁹He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
¹⁰His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
¹¹but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Old Testament Reading Proverbs 16:1–24

¹The plans of the heart belong to man,
but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.
²All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes,
but the Lord weighs the spirit.
³Commit your work to the Lord,
and your plans will be established.
⁴The Lord has made everything for its purpose,
even the wicked for the day of trouble.
⁵Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
⁶By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for,
and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil.
⁷When a man’s ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
⁸Better is a little with righteousness
than great revenues with injustice.
⁹The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.
¹⁰An oracle is on the lips of a king;
his mouth does not sin in judgment.
¹¹A just balance and scales are the Lord’s;
all the weights in the bag are his work.
¹²It is an abomination to kings to do evil,
for the throne is established by righteousness.
¹³Righteous lips are the delight of a king,
and he loves him who speaks what is right.
¹⁴A king’s wrath is a messenger of death,
and a wise man will appease it.
¹⁵In the light of a king’s face there is life,
and his favor is like the clouds that bring the spring rain.
¹⁶How much better to get wisdom than gold!
To get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.
¹⁷The highway of the upright turns aside from evil;
whoever guards his way preserves his life.
¹⁸Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
¹⁹It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor
than to divide the spoil with the proud.
²⁰Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,
and blessed is he who trusts in the Lord.
²¹The wise of heart is called discerning,
and sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness.
²²Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it,
but the instruction of fools is folly.
²³The heart of the wise makes his speech judicious
and adds persuasiveness to his lips.
²⁴Gracious words are like a honeycomb,
sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

New Testament Reading John 16:1–16

¹[Jesus said:] “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. ²They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. ³And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. ⁴But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. ⁷Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; ¹¹concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

¹²“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

¹⁶“A little while, and you will see me no longer; and again a little while, and you will see me.”