Ecclesiastes 10-12

English Standard Version

10 Dead flies make ^(A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
²^(B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
    but a fool's heart to the left.
³Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
    and he ^(C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
⁴If the anger of the ruler rises against you, ^(D)do not leave your place,
    ^(E)for calmness^[a] will lay great offenses to rest.

⁵There 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.

⁸He who ^(J)digs a pit will fall into it,
    and ^(K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
⁹^(L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
    and he who ^(M)splits logs is endangered by them.
¹⁰If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
    he must use more strength,
    but wisdom helps one to succeed.^[b]
¹¹If the serpent bites before it is ^(N)charmed,
    there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth ^(O)win him favor,^[c]
    but ^(P)the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
    and the end of his talk is evil madness.
¹⁴^(Q)A fool multiplies words,
    though no man knows what is to be,
    and who can tell him ^(R)what will be after him?
¹⁵The toil of a fool wearies him,
    for he does not know ^(S)the way to the city.

¹⁶^(T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
    and your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
    and your princes feast at the proper time,
    for strength, and not for ^(U)drunkenness!
¹⁸Through sloth the roof sinks in,
    and through indolence the house leaks.
¹⁹Bread is made for laughter,
    and ^(V)wine gladdens life,
    and ^(W)money answers everything.
²⁰Even in your thoughts, ^(X)do not curse the king,
    nor in your ^(Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
    or some winged creature tell the matter.

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

11 ^(Z)Cast your bread upon the waters,
    ^(AA)for you will find it after many days.
²^(AB)Give a portion to ^(AC)seven, or even to eight,
    ^(AD)for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
³If the clouds are full of rain,
    they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,
    and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

⁵As 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.

⁶In 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.

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

⁸So 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.

¹⁰Remove 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”; ²before ^(AS)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, ³in 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, ⁴and ^(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— ⁵they 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— ⁶before 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, ⁷and ^(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

⁹Besides 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. ¹²My 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.

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

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
Ecclesiastes 11:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb
Ecclesiastes 11:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verse 10 (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or evil
Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or is a burden
Ecclesiastes 12:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (three times in this verse); see note on 1:2
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Or the duty of all mankind
Ecclesiastes 12:14 Or into the judgment on

Acts 10:24-48

English Standard Version

²⁴And on the following day they entered Caesarea. Cornelius was expecting them and had called together his relatives and close friends. ²⁵When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and ^(A)fell down at his feet and ^(B)worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter lifted him up, saying, ^(C)“Stand up; I too am a man.” ²⁷And as he talked with him, he went in and found many persons gathered. ²⁸And he said to them, “You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew ^(D)to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation, but ^(E)God has shown me that I should not call any person common or unclean. ²⁹So when I was sent for, I came without objection. I ask then why you sent for me.”

³⁰And Cornelius said, ^(F)“Four days ago, about this hour, I was praying in my house at ^(G)the ninth hour,^[a] and behold, ^(H)a man stood before me in bright clothing ³¹and said, ‘Cornelius, ^(I)your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God. ³²Send therefore to Joppa and ask for Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea.’ ³³So I sent for you at once, and you have been kind enough to come. Now therefore we are all here in the presence of God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.”

Gentiles Hear the Good News

³⁴So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that ^(J)God ^(K)shows no partiality, ³⁵but ^(L)in every nation anyone who fears him and ^(M)does what is right is acceptable to him. ³⁶As for ^(N)the word that he sent to Israel, ^(O)preaching good news of ^(P)peace through Jesus Christ (^(Q)he is Lord of all), ³⁷you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, ^(R)beginning ^(S)from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: ³⁸how ^(T)God anointed Jesus of Nazareth ^(U)with the Holy Spirit and with ^(V)power. He went about doing good and healing all ^(W)who were oppressed by the devil, ^(X)for God was with him. ³⁹And ^(Y)we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. ^(Z)They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, ⁴⁰but ^(AA)God raised him on ^(AB)the third day and made him to ^(AC)appear, ⁴¹^(AD)not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as ^(AE)witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²And ^(AF)he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify ^(AG)that he is the one appointed by God to be judge ^(AH)of the living and the dead. ⁴³^(AI)To him ^(AJ)all the prophets bear witness that ^(AK)everyone who believes in him receives ^(AL)forgiveness of sins ^(AM)through his name.”

The Holy Spirit Falls on the Gentiles

⁴⁴While Peter was still saying these things, ^(AN)the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. ⁴⁵And the believers from among ^(AO)the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because ^(AP)the gift of the Holy Spirit ^(AQ)was poured out even on the Gentiles. ⁴⁶For they were hearing them ^(AR)speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, ⁴⁷^(AS)“Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit ^(AT)just as we have?” ⁴⁸And he ^(AU)commanded them ^(AV)to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.