Men Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to my heart and explain ^[a]it that righteous men, wise men, and their deeds are ^(A)in the hand of God. ^(B)Man does not know whether it will be ^(C)love or hatred; anything ^[b]awaits him.

^2 (D)It is the same for all. There is ^(E)one fate for the righteous and for the wicked; for the good, for the clean and for the unclean; for the man who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good man is, so is the sinner; as the swearer is, so is the one who ^[c]is afraid to swear. ³ This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is ^(F)one fate for all men. Furthermore, ^(G)the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and ^(H)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead. ⁴ For whoever is joined with all the living, there is hope; surely a live dog is better than a dead lion. ⁵ For the living know they will die; but the dead ^(I)do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their ^(J)memory is forgotten. ⁶ Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a ^(K)share in all that is done under the sun.

⁷ Go then, ^(L)eat your bread in happiness and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works. ⁸ Let your ^(M)clothes be white all the time, and let not ^(N)oil be lacking on your head. ⁹ Enjoy life with the woman whom you love all the days of your ^[d](O)fleeting life which He has given to you under the sun^[e]; for this is your ^(P)reward in life and in your toil in which you have labored under the sun.

Whatever Your Hand Finds to Do

¹⁰ Whatever your hand finds to do, ^(Q)do it with all your might; for there is no ^(R)activity or planning or knowledge or wisdom in ^(S)Sheol where you are going.

¹¹ I again saw under the sun that the ^(T)race is not to the swift and the ^(U)battle is not to the warriors, and neither is bread to the wise nor ^(V)wealth to the discerning nor favor to men of ability; for time and ^(W)chance overtake them all. ¹² Moreover, man does not ^(X)know his time: like fish caught in a treacherous net and ^(Y)birds trapped in a snare, so the sons of men are ^(Z)ensnared at an evil time when it ^(AA)suddenly falls on them.

¹³ Also this I came to see as wisdom under the sun, and ^[f]it impressed me. ¹⁴ There ^(AB)was a small city with few men in it and a great king came to it, surrounded it and constructed large siegeworks against it. ¹⁵ But there was found in it a ^(AC)poor wise man and he ^[g]delivered the city ^(AD)by his wisdom. Yet ^(AE)no one remembered that poor man. ¹⁶ So I said, “^(AF)Wisdom is better than strength.” But the wisdom of the poor man is despised and his words are not heeded. ¹⁷ The ^(AG)words of the wise heard in quietness are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. ^18 (AH)Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^(AI)one sinner destroys much good.

The Lord a Refuge and Defense.

For the choir director. A Psalm of David.

John the Baptist Preaches

3 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when ^(A)Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and ^(B)Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, ² in the high priesthood of ^(C)Annas and ^(D)Caiaphas, ^(E)the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness. ³ And he came into all ^(F)the district around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; ⁴ as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet,

⁷ So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, “^(K)You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸ Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and ^(L)do not begin to say ^[c]to yourselves, ‘^(M)We have Abraham for our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. ⁹ Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so ^(N)every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰ And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “^(O)Then what shall we do?” ¹¹ And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to ^(P)share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” ¹² And some ^(Q)tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” ¹³ And he said to them, “^[d]Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” ¹⁴ Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or ^(R)accuse anyone falsely, and ^(S)be content with your wages.”

¹⁵ Now while the people were in a state of expectation and all were ^[e]wondering in their hearts about John, ^(T)as to whether he was ^[f]the Christ, ^16 (U)John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you ^[g]with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His ^(V)winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with ^(W)unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸ So with many other exhortations he preached the gospel to the people. ¹⁹ But when ^(X)Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of ^(Y)Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the wicked things which ^(Z)Herod had done, ²⁰ Herod also added this to them all: ^(AA)he locked John up in prison.

Jesus Is Baptized

^21 (AB)Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was ^(AC)praying, heaven was opened, ²² and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came out of heaven, “^(AD)You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.”

Genealogy of Jesus

^23 (AE)When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, ^[h]as was supposed, the son of ^(AF)Joseph, ^[i]the son of ^[j]Eli, ²⁴ the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, ²⁵ the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of ^[k]Hesli, the son of Naggai, ²⁶ the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, ²⁷ the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, ^(AG)the son of Zerubbabel, the son of ^[l]Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸ the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, ²⁹ the son of ^[m]Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰ the son of Simeon, the son of ^[n]Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, ³¹ the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ^32 (AH)the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of ^[o]Salmon, the son of ^[p]Nahshon, ³³ the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of ^[q]Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴ the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, ^(AI)the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵ the son of Serug, the son of ^[r]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of ^[s]Heber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶ the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, ^(AJ)the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷ the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸ the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.