⁵ There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were ^(F)an error proceeding from the ruler: ^6 (G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ^7 (H)I have seen slaves ^(I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

⁵ As you do not know the way ^(AE)the spirit comes to ^(AF)the bones in the womb^[d] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

⁶ In the morning sow your seed, and at evening ^(AG)withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

⁷ Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to ^(AH)see the sun.

⁸ So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember ^(AI)that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is ^(AJ)vanity.^[e]

^9 (AK)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. ^(AL)Walk in the ways of your heart and ^(AM)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things ^(AN)God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰ Remove vexation from your heart, and ^(AO)put away pain^[f] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in ^(AP)the days of your youth, before ^(AQ)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(AR)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ² before ^(AS)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, ³ in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and ^(AT)those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴ and ^(AU)the doors on the street are shut—when ^(AV)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all ^(AW)the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵ they are afraid also of what is high, and ^(AX)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[g] and desire fails, because man is going to his ^(AY)eternal ^(AZ)home, and the ^(BA)mourners go about the streets— ⁶ before the silver cord is snapped, or ^(BB)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is ^(BC)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷ and ^(BD)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and ^(BE)the spirit returns to God ^(BF)who gave it. ^8 (BG)Vanity^[h] of vanities, says ^(BH)the Preacher; all is vanity.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

⁹ Besides being wise, ^(BI)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging ^(BJ)many proverbs with great care. ^10 (BK)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

^11 (BL)The words of the wise are like goads, and like ^(BM)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are ^(BN)given by ^(BO)one Shepherd. ¹² My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making ^(BP)many books there is no end, and ^(BQ)much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³ The end of the matter; all has been heard. ^(BR)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^{[i] 14} For ^(BS)God will bring every deed into judgment, with^[j] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Greeting

1 Paul, an ^(A)apostle—^(B)not from men nor through man, but ^(C)through Jesus Christ and God the Father, ^(D)who raised him from the dead— ² and all ^(E)the brothers^[a] who are with me,

To ^(F)the churches of Galatia:

^3 (G)Grace to you and peace ^(H)from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ^4 (I)who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present ^(J)evil age, according to the will of ^(K)our God and Father, ⁵ to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

⁶ I am astonished that you are ^(L)so quickly deserting ^(M)him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to ^(N)a different gospel— ^7 (O)not that there is another one, but ^(P)there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. ⁸ But even if we or ^(Q)an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, ^(R)let him be accursed. ⁹ As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, ^(S)let him be accursed.

¹⁰ For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying ^(T)to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a ^(U)servant^[b] of Christ.

Paul Called by God

¹¹ For ^(V)I would have you know, brothers, that ^(W)the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel.^{[c] 12 (X)}For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it ^(Y)through a revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹³ For you have heard of ^(Z)my former life in Judaism, how ^(AA)I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely ^(AB)zealous was I for ^(AC)the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when he ^(AD)who had set me apart ^(AE)before I was born,^[d] and who ^(AF)called me by his grace, ¹⁶ was pleased to reveal his Son to^[e] me, in order ^(AG)that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;^{[f] 17} nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.

¹⁸ Then ^(AH)after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. ¹⁹ But I saw none of the other apostles except James ^(AI)the Lord's brother. ²⁰ (In what I am writing to you, ^(AJ)before God, I do not lie!) ^21 (AK)Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. ²² And I was still unknown in person to ^(AL)the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³ They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” ²⁴ And they glorified God because of me.