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Ecclesiastes 10

 ¹ As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
       so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

 ² The heart of the wise inclines to the right,
       but the heart of the fool to the left.

 ³ Even as he walks along the road,
       the fool lacks sense
       and shows everyone how stupid he is.

 ⁴ If a ruler's anger rises against you,
       do not leave your post;
       calmness can lay great errors to rest.

 ⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun,
       the sort of error that arises from a ruler:

 ⁶ Fools are put in many high positions,
       while the rich occupy the low ones.

 ⁷ I have seen slaves on horseback,
       while princes go on foot like slaves.

 ⁸ Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;
       whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

 ⁹ Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
       whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

 ¹⁰ If the ax is dull
       and its edge unsharpened,
       more strength is needed
       but skill will bring success.

 ¹¹ If a snake bites before it is charmed,
       there is no profit for the charmer.

 ¹² Words from a wise man's mouth are gracious,
       but a fool is consumed by his own lips.

 ¹³ At the beginning his words are folly;
       at the end they are wicked madness-

 ¹⁴ and the fool multiplies words.
       No one knows what is coming—
       who can tell him what will happen after him?

 ¹⁵ A fool's work wearies him;
       he does not know the way to town.

 ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land whose king was a servant ^[a]
       and whose princes feast in the morning.

 ¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land whose king is of noble birth
       and whose princes eat at a proper time—
       for strength and not for drunkenness.

 ¹⁸ If a man is lazy, the rafters sag;
       if his hands are idle, the house leaks.

 ¹⁹ A feast is made for laughter,
       and wine makes life merry,
       but money is the answer for everything.

 ²⁰ Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
       or curse the rich in your bedroom,
       because a bird of the air may carry your words,
       and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Ecclesiastes 11

Bread Upon the Waters

 ² Give portions to seven, yes to eight,
       for you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

 ³ If clouds are full of water,
       they pour rain upon the earth.
       Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,
       in the place where it falls, there will it lie.

 ⁴ Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
       whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

 ⁵ As you do not know the path of the wind,
       or how the body is formed ^[b] in a mother's womb,
       so you cannot understand the work of God,
       the Maker of all things.

 ⁶ Sow your seed in the morning,
       and at evening let not your hands be idle,
       for you do not know which will succeed,
       whether this or that,
       or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

 ⁸ However many years a man may live,
       let him enjoy them all.
       But let him remember the days of darkness,
       for they will be many.
       Everything to come is meaningless.

 ⁹ Be happy, young man, while you are young,
       and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
       Follow the ways of your heart
       and whatever your eyes see,
       but know that for all these things
       God will bring you to judgment.

 ¹⁰ So then, banish anxiety from your heart
       and cast off the troubles of your body,
       for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Ecclesiastes 12

 ¹ Remember your Creator
       in the days of your youth,
       before the days of trouble come
       and the years approach when you will say,
       "I find no pleasure in them"-

 ² before the sun and the light
       and the moon and the stars grow dark,
       and the clouds return after the rain;

 ³ when the keepers of the house tremble,
       and the strong men stoop,
       when the grinders cease because they are few,
       and those looking through the windows grow dim;

 ⁴ when the doors to the street are closed
       and the sound of grinding fades;
       when men rise up at the sound of birds,
       but all their songs grow faint;

 ⁵ when men are afraid of heights
       and of dangers in the streets;
       when the almond tree blossoms
       and the grasshopper drags himself along
       and desire no longer is stirred.
       Then man goes to his eternal home
       and mourners go about the streets.

 ⁶ Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
       or the golden bowl is broken;
       before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
       or the wheel broken at the well,

 ⁷ and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
       and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

 ⁸ "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. ^[c]
       "Everything is meaningless!"

The Conclusion of the Matter

 ¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. ¹² Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
      Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

 ¹³ Now all has been heard;
       here is the conclusion of the matter:
       Fear God and keep his commandments,
       for this is the whole duty of man.

 ¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,
       including every hidden thing,
       whether it is good or evil.

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Galatians 1

 ¹Paul, an apostle—sent not from men nor by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead— ²and all the brothers with me,
      To the churches in Galatia:

 ³Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

No Other Gospel

 ¹⁰Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Paul Called by God

 ¹³For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵But when God, who set me apart from birth^[a] and called me by his grace, was pleased ¹⁶to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, ¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.

 ¹⁸Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter^[b] and stayed with him fifteen days. ¹⁹I saw none of the other apostles—only James, the Lord's brother. ²⁰I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. ²¹Later I went to Syria and Cilicia. ²²I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. ²³They only heard the report: "The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy." ²⁴And they praised God because of me.