Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

English Standard Version

The Vanity of Wisdom

¹²I ^(A)the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I ^(B)applied my heart^[a] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy ^(C)business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹⁴I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is ^(D)vanity^[b] and a striving after wind.^[c]

¹⁵^(E)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.

¹⁶I said in my heart, “I have acquired great ^(F)wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷And I ^(G)applied my heart to know wisdom and to know ^(H)madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but ^(I)a striving after wind.

¹⁸For ^(J)in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The Vanity of Self-Indulgence

2 I ^(K)said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.^[d] ²I ^(L)said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” ³I ^(M)searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on ^(N)folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. ⁴I made great works. I ^(O)built houses and planted ^(P)vineyards for myself. ⁵I made myself ^(Q)gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. ⁷I bought male and female slaves, and had ^(R)slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of ^(S)herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. ⁸I also gathered for myself silver and ^(T)gold and the treasure of ^(U)kings and ^(V)provinces. I got ^(W)singers, both men and women, and many ^(X)concubines,^[e] the delight of the sons of man.

⁹So I became great and ^(Y)surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my ^(Z)wisdom remained with me. ¹⁰And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart ^(AA)found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my ^(AB)reward for all my toil. ¹¹Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was ^(AC)vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing ^(AD)to be gained under the sun.

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
Ecclesiastes 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)
Ecclesiastes 2:1 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain

Psalm 49:1-12

English Standard Version

Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of ^(A)the Sons of Korah.

49 ^(B)Hear this, all peoples!
    Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
²^(C)both low and high,
    rich and poor together!
³My mouth shall speak ^(D)wisdom;
    the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
⁴I will incline my ear to ^(E)a proverb;
    I will solve my ^(F)riddle to the music of the lyre.

⁵^(G)Why should I fear in ^(H)times of trouble,
    when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
⁶those who ^(I)trust in their wealth
    and boast of the abundance of their riches?
⁷Truly no man ^(J)can ransom another,
    or ^(K)give to God ^(L)the price of his life,
⁸for ^(M)the ransom of their life is costly
    and can never suffice,
⁹that he should live on forever
    and ^(N)never see the pit.

¹⁰For he sees ^(O)that even the wise die;
    ^(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
    and ^(Q)leave their wealth to others.
¹¹Their ^(R)graves are their homes forever,^[a]
    their dwelling places ^(S)to all generations,
    though they ^(T)called lands by their own names.
¹²Man in his pomp ^(U)will not remain;
    ^(V)he is like the beasts that perish.

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Footnotes

Psalm 49:11 Septuagint, Syriac, Targum; Hebrew Their inward thought was that their homes were forever

Psalm 49:13-20

English Standard Version

¹³This is the path of those who have ^(A)foolish confidence;
    yet after them people approve of their boasts.^[a] Selah
¹⁴Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
    death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright ^(B)shall rule over them in the morning.
    ^(C)Their form shall be consumed ^(D)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
¹⁵But God will ^(E)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
    for he will ^(F)receive me. Selah

¹⁶Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
    when the glory of his house increases.
¹⁷^(G)For when he dies he will ^(H)carry nothing away;
    his glory will not go down after him.
¹⁸For though, while he lives, he counts himself ^(I)blessed
    —and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
¹⁹his soul will ^(J)go to the generation of his fathers,
    who will never again ^(K)see light.
²⁰^(L)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

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Footnotes

Psalm 49:13 Or and of those after them who approve of their boasts

Colossians 3:5-17

English Standard Version

⁵^(A)Put to death therefore ^(B)what is earthly in you:^[a] ^(C)sexual immorality, impurity, ^(D)passion, evil desire, and covetousness, ^(E)which is idolatry. ⁶^(F)On account of these the wrath of God is coming.^[b] ⁷^(G)In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸But now ^(H)you must put them all away: ^(I)anger, wrath, malice, ^(J)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹^(K)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(L)you have put off ^(M)the old self^[c] with its practices ¹⁰and ^(N)have put on ^(O)the new self, ^(P)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(Q)after the image of ^(R)its creator. ¹¹^(S)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[d] free; but Christ is ^(T)all, and in all.

¹²^(U)Put on then, as ^(V)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(W)compassionate hearts, ^(X)kindness, ^(Y)humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³^(Z)bearing with one another and, ^(AA)if one has a complaint against another, ^(AB)forgiving each other; ^(AC)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴And above all these put on ^(AD)love, which ^(AE)binds everything together in ^(AF)perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let ^(AG)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AH)in one body. And ^(AI)be thankful. ¹⁶Let ^(AJ)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AK)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AL)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷And ^(AM)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AN)giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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Footnotes

Colossians 3:5 Greek therefore your members that are on the earth
Colossians 3:6 Some manuscripts add upon the sons of disobedience
Colossians 3:9 Greek man; also as supplied in verse 10
Colossians 3:11 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; likewise for Bondservants in verse 22

Luke 12:13-21

English Standard Version

The Parable of the Rich Fool

¹³^(A)Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” ¹⁴But he said to him, ^(B)“Man, ^(C)who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And he said to them, ^(D)“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” ¹⁶And he told them a parable, saying, ^(E)“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, ¹⁷and he thought to himself, ^(F)‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ ¹⁸And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^(G)barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^(H)for many years; relax, ^(I)eat, drink, be merry.”’ ²⁰But God said to him, ^(J)‘Fool! ^(K)This night ^(L)your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^(M)whose will they be?’ ²¹So is the one ^(N)who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”