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Proverbs 1:19-21
New Catholic Bible
Proverbs 1:19-21
New Catholic Bible
19 Such is the fate of all who seek ill-gotten gain;
such greed takes away the life of those who acquire it.
Wisdom Cries Out Her Message in the Street[a]
20 Wisdom cries out in the street;
she raises her voice in the public squares.
21 She calls out on the crowded street corners;
at the city gates she proclaims her message:
Footnotes
- Proverbs 1:20 Here and in three other places in Proverbs (3:15-18; 8:1-36; 9:1-12), Wisdom is personified. People think of Wisdom as confined to palaces and schools, but she is present in public squares. Like the Prophets, she has a strong voice to preach, threaten, and encourage. Indeed, it is right in the middle of the daily affairs that one must listen to the call to conversion. We are called to state our views clearly; if we fail to do so, our days will slip away into meaninglessness. False securities cannot bring about the changes necessary in an existence devoid of deep attention.
