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.

Notas al pie

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

Psalm 94

English Standard Version

The Lord Will Not Forsake His People

94 O Lord, God of ^(A)vengeance,
    O God of vengeance, ^(B)shine forth!
²^(C)Rise up, O ^(D)judge of the earth;
    repay to the ^(E)proud what they deserve!
³O Lord, ^(F)how long shall the wicked,
    how long shall ^(G)the wicked exult?
⁴They pour out their ^(H)arrogant words;
    all ^(I)the evildoers boast.
⁵They ^(J)crush your people, O Lord,
    and afflict your heritage.
⁶They kill ^(K)the widow and the sojourner,
    and murder ^(L)the fatherless;
⁷^(M)and they say, “The Lord does not see;
    the God of Jacob does not perceive.”

⁸^(N)Understand, O dullest of the people!
    Fools, when will you be wise?
⁹^(O)He who planted the ear, does he not hear?
He who formed the eye, does he not see?
¹⁰He who ^(P)disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke?
He who ^(Q)teaches man knowledge—
¹¹    ^(R)the Lord—knows the thoughts of man,
    that they are ^(S)but a breath.^[a]

¹²^(T)Blessed is the man whom you ^(U)discipline, O Lord,
    and whom you teach out of your law,
¹³to give him ^(V)rest from ^(W)days of trouble,
    until ^(X)a pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴^(Y)For the Lord will not forsake his ^(Z)people;
    he will not abandon his ^(AA)heritage;
¹⁵for ^(AB)justice will return to the righteous,
    and all the upright in heart will ^(AC)follow it.

¹⁶^(AD)Who rises up for me against the wicked?
    Who stands up for me against evildoers?
¹⁷^(AE)If the Lord had not been my help,
    my soul would soon have lived in the land of ^(AF)silence.
¹⁸When I thought, ^(AG)“My foot slips,”
    your steadfast love, O Lord, ^(AH)held me up.
¹⁹When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul.
²⁰Can ^(AI)wicked rulers be allied with you,
    those who frame^[b] injustice by ^(AJ)statute?
²¹They ^(AK)band together against the life of the righteous
    and condemn ^(AL)the innocent to death.^[c]
²²But the Lord has become my ^(AM)stronghold,
    and my God ^(AN)the rock of my ^(AO)refuge.
²³He will bring back on them ^(AP)their iniquity
    and ^(AQ)wipe them out for their wickedness;
    the Lord our God will wipe them out.

Notas al pie

Psalm 94:11 Septuagint they are futile
Psalm 94:20 Or fashion
Psalm 94:21 Hebrew condemn innocent blood

Ephesians 5

English Standard Version

Walk in Love

5 ^(A)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And ^(B)walk in love, ^(C)as Christ loved us and ^(D)gave himself up for us, a ^(E)fragrant ^(F)offering and sacrifice to God.

³But ^(G)sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness ^(H)must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be ^(I)no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, ^(J)which are out of place, but instead ^(K)let there be thanksgiving. ⁵For you may be sure of this, that ^(L)everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (^(M)that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶^(N)Let no one ^(O)deceive you with empty words, for because of these things ^(P)the wrath of God comes upon ^(Q)the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore ^(R)do not become partners with them; ⁸for ^(S)at one time you were ^(T)darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. ^(U)Walk as children of light ⁹(for ^(V)the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and ^(W)try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹^(X)Take no part in the ^(Y)unfruitful ^(Z)works of darkness, but instead ^(AA)expose them. ¹²For ^(AB)it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³But when ^(AC)anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

^(AD)“Awake, O sleeper,
and ^(AE)arise from the dead,
and ^(AF)Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵^(AG)Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶^(AH)making the best use of the time, because ^(AI)the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what ^(AJ)the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And ^(AK)do not get drunk with wine, for that is ^(AL)debauchery, but ^(AM)be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in ^(AN)psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰^(AO)giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father ^(AP)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹^(AQ)submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

²²^(AR)Wives, ^(AS)submit to your own husbands, ^(AT)as to the Lord. ²³For ^(AU)the husband is the head of the wife even as ^(AV)Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is ^(AW)himself its Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit ^(AX)in everything to their husbands.

²⁵^(AY)Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and ^(AZ)gave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by ^(BA)the washing of water ^(BB)with the word, ²⁷so ^(BC)that he might present the church to himself in splendor, ^(BD)without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^[a] ²⁸In the same way ^(BE)husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because ^(BF)we are members of his body. ³¹^(BG)“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^(BH)the two shall become one flesh.” ³²This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³However, ^(BI)let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she ^(BJ)respects her husband.