¹⁵ I have seen everything during my ^[a](A)lifetime of futility; there is ^(B)a righteous person who perishes in his righteousness, and there is ^(C)a wicked person who prolongs his life in his wickedness. ¹⁶ Do not be excessively ^(D)righteous, and do not ^(E)be overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself? ¹⁷ Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be foolish. Why should you ^(F)die ^[b]before your time? ¹⁸ It is good that you grasp one thing while not ^[c]letting go of the other; for one who ^(G)fears God comes out with ^[d]both of them.

^19 (H)Wisdom strengthens a wise person more than ten rulers who are in a city. ²⁰ Indeed, ^(I)there is not a righteous person on earth who always does good and does not ever sin. ²¹ Also, do not ^[e]take seriously all the words which are spoken, so that you do not hear your servant ^(J)cursing you, ²² for ^[f]you know that even you have cursed others many times as well.

²³ I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” ^(K)but wisdom was far from me. ²⁴ What has been is remote and ^(L)very ^[g]mysterious. ^(M)Who can discover it? ²⁵ I ^[h](N)directed my ^[i]mind to know and to investigate, and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of foolishness and the foolishness of insanity. ²⁶ And I discovered as more ^(O)bitter than death the woman whose heart is ^(P)snares and nets, whose hands are chains. ^(Q)One who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but ^(R)the sinner will be captured by her.

²⁷ “Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “by adding one thing to another to find an explanation, ²⁸ which ^[j]I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a ^(S)woman among all these. ²⁹ Behold, I have found only this, that ^(T)God made people upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

God Is Love

^7 (A)Beloved, let’s ^(B)love one another; for love is from God, and ^(C)everyone who loves has been ^(D)born of God and ^(E)knows God. ⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, because ^(F)God is love. ⁹ By this the love of God was revealed ^[a](G)in us, that ^(H)God has sent His only Son into the world so that we may live through Him. ¹⁰ In this is love, ^(I)not that we loved God, but that ^(J)He loved us and sent His Son to be ^(K)the ^[b]propitiation for our sins. ^11 (L)Beloved, if God so loved us, ^(M)we also ought to love one another. ^12 (N)No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God remains in us, and His ^(O)love is perfected in us. ^13 (P)By this we know that we remain in Him and He in us, because He has given to us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ We have seen and ^(Q)testify that the Father has ^(R)sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.

^15 (S)Whoever confesses that ^(T)Jesus is the Son of God, God ^(U)remains in him, and he in God. ^16 (V)We have come to know and have believed the love which God has ^[c](W)for us. ^(X)God is love, and the one who ^(Y)remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. ¹⁷ By this, ^(Z)love is perfected with us, so that we may have ^(AA)confidence in ^(AB)the day of judgment; because ^(AC)as He is, we also are in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but ^(AD)perfect love drives out fear, because fear ^[d]involves punishment, and the one who fears is not ^(AE)perfected in love. ^19 (AF)We love, because He first loved us. ^20 (AG)If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he ^(AH)hates his brother or sister, he is a ^(AI)liar; for ^(AJ)the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, ^(AK)cannot love God, whom he has not seen. ²¹ And ^(AL)this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God ^(AM)must also love his brother and sister.

Obey Rulers

8 Who is like the wise person and who knows the meaning of a matter? A person’s wisdom ^(A)illuminates his face and makes his ^(B)stern face ^[a]brighten up.

² I say, “Keep the ^[b]command of the king because of the ^(C)oath ^[c]before God. ³ Do not be in a hurry ^[d](D)to leave him. Do not join in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he pleases.” ⁴ Since the word of the king is authoritative, ^(E)who will say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵ One who ^(F)keeps a royal command ^(G)experiences no ^[e]trouble, for a wise heart knows the proper time and procedure. ⁶ For ^(H)there is a proper time and procedure for every delight, though a person’s trouble is heavy upon him. ⁷ If no one ^(I)knows what will happen, who can tell him when it will happen? ^8 (J)No one has authority over the wind to restrain the wind, nor authority over the day of death; and there is no military discharge in the time of war, and ^(K)evil will not save ^[f]those who practice it. ⁹ All this I have seen, and have applied my ^[g]mind to every deed that has been done under the sun at a time when one person has exercised ^(L)authority over another person to his detriment.

¹⁰ So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they are ^(M)soon forgotten in the city where they did such things. This too is futility. ¹¹ Because the ^(N)sentence against an evil deed is not executed quickly, therefore ^(O)the hearts of the sons of mankind among them are ^[h]fully given to do evil. ¹² Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and may ^(P)lengthen his life, still I know that it will go ^(Q)well for those who fear God, who fear ^[i]Him openly. ¹³ But it will ^(R)not go well for the evil person and he will not lengthen his days like a ^(S)shadow, because he does not fear God.

¹⁴ There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are ^(T)righteous people to whom it ^[j]happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are ^(U)evil people to whom it ^[k]happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility. ¹⁵ So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for ^(V)a person under the sun except to eat, drink, and be joyful, and this will stand by him in his labor throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

¹⁶ When I ^(W)devoted my ^[l]mind to know wisdom and to see the business which has been done on the earth (even though one should ^[m](X)never sleep day or night), ¹⁷ and I saw every work of God, I concluded that ^(Y)one cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though a person laboriously seeks, he will not discover; and ^(Z)even if the wise person claims to know, he cannot discover.

Overcoming the World

5 ^(A)Everyone who believes that Jesus is the ^[a]Christ has been ^(B)born of God, and everyone who loves the ^[b]Father ^(C)loves the child born of Him. ^2 (D)By this we know that ^(E)we love the children of God, when we love God and ^[c]follow His commandments. ³ For ^(F)this is the love of God, that we ^(G)keep His commandments; and ^(H)His commandments are not burdensome. ⁴ For ^[d]whoever has been ^(I)born of God ^(J)overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

⁵ Who is the one who overcomes the world, but the one who ^(K)believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶ This is the One who came ^(L)by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not ^[e]with the water only, but ^[f]with the water and ^[g]with the blood. It is ^(M)the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are ^(N)three that testify: ^8 [h]the Spirit and the water and the blood; and the three are ^[i]in agreement. ^9 (O)If we receive the testimony of people, the testimony of God is greater; for the testimony of God is this, that ^(P)He has testified concerning His Son. ¹⁰ The one who believes in the Son of God ^(Q)has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has ^(R)made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son. ¹¹ And the testimony is this, that God has given us ^(S)eternal life, and ^(T)this life is in His Son. ^12 (U)The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

This Is Written That You May Know

^13 (V)These things I have written to you who ^(W)believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have ^(X)eternal life. ¹⁴ This is ^(Y)the confidence which we have ^[j]before Him, that, ^(Z)if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, ^(AA)we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.

¹⁶ If anyone sees his brother or sister ^[k]committing a sin not leading to death, ^(AB)he shall ask and ^[l]God will, for him, give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. ^(AC)There is sin leading to death; ^(AD)I am not saying that he should ask about that. ^17 (AE)All unrighteousness is sin, and ^(AF)there is sin not leading to death.

^18 (AG)We know that ^(AH)no one who has been born of God ^[m]sins; but He who was born of God ^(AI)keeps him, and ^(AJ)the evil one does not ^(AK)touch him. ^19 (AL)We know that ^(AM)we are of God, and that ^(AN)the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. ²⁰ And ^(AO)we know that ^(AP)the Son of God has come, and has ^(AQ)given us understanding so that we may know ^(AR)Him who is true; and we ^(AS)are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. ^(AT)This is the true God and ^(AU)eternal life.

^21 (AV)Little children, guard yourselves from ^(AW)idols.