At that time Jesus prayed this prayer:“ O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike.

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你将这些事向聪明通达人就藏起来，向婴孩就显出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你把这些事向聪明智慧的人隐藏起来，而向婴孩启示出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我感谢你！因为你把这些事向聪明智慧的人隐藏起来，而向婴孩启示出来。

那时，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我颂赞你，因为你把这些事向聪明、有学问的人隐藏起来，却启示给像孩童一般的人。

就在那时候，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我赞美你，因为你把这些事向智慧和聪明的人隐藏起来，却向婴孩显明。

那时候，耶稣说：“父啊，天地的主，我赞美你，因为你把这些事向有智慧的和有学问的人隐藏起来，而向小孩子们显明出来。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你將這些事向聰明通達人就藏起來，向嬰孩就顯出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你把這些事向聰明智慧的人隱藏起來，而向嬰孩啟示出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我感謝你！因為你把這些事向聰明智慧的人隱藏起來，而向嬰孩啟示出來。

那時，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我頌讚你，因為你把這些事向聰明、有學問的人隱藏起來，卻啟示給像孩童一般的人。

就在那時候，耶穌說：“父啊，天地的主，我讚美你，因為你把這些事向智慧和聰明的人隱藏起來，卻向嬰孩顯明。

當那些時候，耶穌應時地說：『父啊，天地的主啊，我稱謝你，因為你將這些事向智慧通達的人隱藏起來，向嬰孩卻啓示了。

那時候，耶穌說：「父啊，天地的主，我讚美你，因為你把這些事向有智慧的和有學問的人隱藏起來，而向小孩子們顯明出來。

耶穌又曰、父乎、天地主也、我讚爾、以此事、於智者達者則隱之、於赤子則顯之、

既而曰、父乎、天地主也、我讚爾、以此道、於智賢則隱之、於赤子則顯之、

當時耶穌曰、父歟、天地之主、我讚爾、因爾藏斯道於知者達者、而顯之於赤子、

爾時耶穌又言曰：『頌揚聖父、天地真主！蓋爾隱此道於智巧之人、而啟之於赤子；

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father. You are Lord of heaven and earth. You have hidden these things from wise and educated people. But you have shown them to little children.

At that time Jesus declared,“ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children;

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus answered and said,“ I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.

At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes:

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned and revealed them to infants.

At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

At that time Jesus said,“ I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to little children.

At that time, Jesus answered,“ I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you hid these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to infants.

Jesus replied,“ You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.

They asked Jesus,“ Do you hear what these children are saying?”“ Yes,” Jesus replied.“ Haven’t you ever read the Scriptures? For they say,‘ You have taught children and infants to give you praise.’”

You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you.

At that same time Jesus was filled with the joy of the Holy Spirit, and he said,“ O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way.“ My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”Then when they were alone, he turned to the disciples and said,“ Blessed are the eyes that see what you have seen.I tell you, many prophets and kings longed to see what you see, but they didn’t see it. And they longed to hear what you hear, but they didn’t hear it.”

“ He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man made temples,

As the Scriptures say,“ God has put them into a deep sleep. To this day he has shut their eyes so they do not see, and closed their ears so they do not hear.”Likewise, David said,“ Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.Let their eyes go blind so they cannot see, and let their backs be bent forever.”

But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ.

So they rolled the stone aside. Then Jesus looked up to heaven and said,“ Father, thank you for hearing me.

Then Jesus told him,“ I entered this world to render judgment— to give sight to the blind and to show those who think they see that they are blind.”Some Pharisees who were standing nearby heard him and asked,“ Are you saying we’re blind?”“ If you were blind, you wouldn’t be guilty,” Jesus replied.“ But you remain guilty because you claim you can see.

Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant.He replied,“ You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders,so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:‘ When they see what I do, they will learn nothing. When they hear what I say, they will not understand. Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”

The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.As the Scriptures say,“ I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and discard the intelligence of the intelligent.”So where does this leave the philosophers, the scholars, and the world’s brilliant debaters? God has made the wisdom of this world look foolish.Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe.It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.This foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you.Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.No, the wisdom we speak of is the mystery of God— his plan that was previously hidden, even though he made it for our ultimate glory before the world began.But the rulers of this world have not understood it; if they had, they would not have crucified our glorious Lord.

I thank and praise you, God of my ancestors, for you have given me wisdom and strength. You have told me what we asked of you and revealed to us what the king demanded.”

This is exactly what Isaiah the prophet had predicted:“ Lord, who has believed our message? To whom has the Lord revealed his powerful arm?”But the people couldn’t believe, for as Isaiah also said,“ The Lord has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts— so that their eyes cannot see, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and have me heal them.”

In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book, and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord. The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

He replied,“ You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.To those who listen to my teaching, more understanding will be given, and they will have an abundance of knowledge. But for those who are not listening, even what little understanding they have will be taken away from them.That is why I use these parables, For they look, but they don’t really see. They hear, but they don’t really listen or understand.This fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah that says,‘ When you hear what I say, you will not understand. When you see what I do, you will not comprehend.For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’“ But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

“ I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”“ O Sovereign Lord,” I said,“ I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”The Lord replied,“ Don’t say,‘ I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Then he said,“ I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

“ Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

This is what the Lord says:“ Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?

For the Lord has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has closed the eyes of your prophets and visionaries.All the future events in this vision are like a sealed book to them. When you give it to those who can read, they will say,“ We can’t read it because it is sealed.”When you give it to those who cannot read, they will say,“ We don’t know how to read.”And so the Lord says,“ These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man made rules learned by rote.Because of this, I will once again astound these hypocrites with amazing wonders. The wisdom of the wise will pass away, and the intelligence of the intelligent will disappear.”

When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them,“ Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.”Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.

“ Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God.Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today.

Suddenly the Lord called out,“ Samuel!”“ Yes?” Samuel replied.“ What is it?”He got up and ran to Eli.“ Here I am. Did you call me?”“ I didn’t call you,” Eli replied.“ Go back to bed.” So he did.Then the Lord called out again,“ Samuel!” Again Samuel got up and went to Eli.“ Here I am. Did you call me?”“ I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said.“ Go back to bed.”Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before.So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli.“ Here I am. Did you call me?” Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy.So he said to Samuel,“ Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say,‘ Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.And the Lord came and called as before,“ Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied,“ Speak, your servant is listening.”Then the Lord said to Samuel,“ I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel.I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end.I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.But Eli called out to him,“ Samuel, my son.”“ Here I am,” Samuel replied.“ What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!”So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back.“ It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied.“ Let him do what he thinks best.”As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable.And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord.The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation— a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What sorrow for those who are wise in their own eyes and think themselves so clever.

If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing.Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake.For God, who said,“ Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him,‘ What do you mean by doing these things?’

And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord:“ O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth.

Abram replied to the king of Sodom,“ I solemnly swear to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth,

Melchizedek blessed Abram with this blessing:“ Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth.

“ O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!

“ Is there a single one of us rulers or Pharisees who believes in him?This foolish crowd follows him, but they are ignorant of the law. God’s curse is on them!”

But Samuel, though he was only a boy, served the Lord. He wore a linen garment like that of a priest.

Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say,“ He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”And again,“ The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise; he knows they are worthless.”