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Ecclesiastes 9-10
Christian Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 9-10
Christian Standard Bible
Enjoy Life Despite Death
9 Indeed, I took all this to heart and explained it all: The righteous, the wise, and their works are in God’s hands.(A) People don’t know whether to expect love or hate. Everything lies ahead of them. 2 Everything is the same for everyone:(B) There is one fate for the righteous and the wicked,(C) for the good and the bad,[a] for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so also it is for the sinner; as it is for the one who takes an oath, so also for the one who fears an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone. In addition, the hearts of people are full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live;(D) after that they go to the dead. 4 But there is hope for whoever is joined[b] with all the living, since a live dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything. There is no longer a reward for them because the memory of them is forgotten.(E) 6 Their love, their hate, and their envy have already disappeared, and there is no longer a portion for them in all that is done under the sun.
7 Go, eat your bread with pleasure, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart, for God has already accepted your works.(F) 8 Let your clothes be white all the time, and never let oil be lacking on your head.(G) 9 Enjoy life with the wife you love all the days of your fleeting[c] life,(H) which has been given to you under the sun, all your fleeting days. For that is your portion in life and in your struggle(I) under the sun. 10 Whatever your hands find to do, do with all your strength,(J) because there is no work, planning, knowledge, or wisdom(K) in Sheol where you are going.
The Limitations of Wisdom
11 Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift,(L) or the battle to the strong,(M) or bread to the wise, or riches to the discerning, or favor to the skillful; rather, time and chance happen to all of them. 12 For certainly no one knows his time:(N) like fish caught in a cruel net or like birds caught in a trap,(O) so people are trapped in an evil time(P) as it suddenly falls on them.(Q)
13 I have observed that this also is wisdom under the sun, and it is significant to me: 14 There was a small city with few men in it. A great king came against it, surrounded it, and built large siege works against it. 15 Now a poor wise man was found in the city,(R) and he delivered the city by his wisdom.(S) Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 And I said, “Wisdom is better than strength,(T) but the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his words are not heeded.”
17 The calm words of the wise are heeded
more than the shouts of a ruler over fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much good.(U)
The Burden of Folly
10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink;(V)
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise person’s heart goes to the[d] right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense,
and he shows everyone he is a fool.(W)
4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post,(X)
for calmness puts great offenses to rest.(Y)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler:
6 The fool is appointed to great heights,(Z)
but the rich remain in lowly positions.
7 I have seen slaves on horses,(AA)
but princes walking on the ground like slaves.(AB)
8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it,(AC)
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(AD)
9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,(AE)
then there is no advantage for the charmer.[e]
12 The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious,(AF)
but the lips of a fool consume him.(AG)
13 The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly,
but the end of his speaking is evil madness;
14 yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?(AH)
15 The struggles of fools weary them,
for they don’t know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth(AI)
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(AJ)
18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,
and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is prepared for laughter,
and wine makes life happy,(AK)
and money[f] is the answer for everything.(AL)
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,(AM)
and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,(AN)
for a bird of the sky may carry the message,
and a winged creature may report the matter.
Ecclesiastes 9-10
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 9-10
New International Version
A Common Destiny for All
9 So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.(A) 2 All share a common destiny—the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,[a] the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
As it is with the good,
so with the sinful;
as it is with those who take oaths,
so with those who are afraid to take them.(B)
3 This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all.(C) The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live,(D) and afterward they join the dead.(E) 4 Anyone who is among the living has hope[b]—even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!
5 For the living know that they will die,
but the dead know nothing;(F)
they have no further reward,
and even their name(G) is forgotten.(H)
6 Their love, their hate
and their jealousy have long since vanished;
never again will they have a part
in anything that happens under the sun.(I)
7 Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine(J) with a joyful heart,(K) for God has already approved what you do. 8 Always be clothed in white,(L) and always anoint your head with oil. 9 Enjoy life with your wife,(M) whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun—all your meaningless days. For this is your lot(N) in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. 10 Whatever(O) your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,(P) for in the realm of the dead,(Q) where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.(R)
11 I have seen something else under the sun:
The race is not to the swift
or the battle to the strong,(S)
nor does food come to the wise(T)
or wealth to the brilliant
or favor to the learned;
but time and chance(U) happen to them all.(V)
12 Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:
As fish are caught in a cruel net,
or birds are taken in a snare,
so people are trapped by evil times(W)
that fall unexpectedly upon them.(X)
Wisdom Better Than Folly
13 I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom(Y) that greatly impressed me: 14 There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. 15 Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man.(Z) 16 So I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” But the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.(AA)
17 The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded
than the shouts of a ruler of fools.
18 Wisdom(AB) is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner destroys much good.
10 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,
so a little folly(AC) 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 fools walk along the road,
they lack sense
and show everyone(AD) how stupid they are.
4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,
do not leave your post;(AE)
calmness can lay great offenses to rest.(AF)
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,(AG)
while the rich occupy the low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback,
while princes go on foot like slaves.(AH)
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;(AI)
whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(AJ)
9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;
whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.(AK)
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,
the charmer receives no fee.(AL)
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,(AM)
but fools are consumed by their own lips.(AN)
13 At the beginning their words are folly;
at the end they are wicked madness—
14 and fools multiply words.(AO)
No one knows what is coming—
who can tell someone else what will happen after them?(AP)
15 The toil of fools wearies them;
they do not know the way to town.
16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant[c](AQ)
and whose princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth
and whose princes eat at a proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(AR)
18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;
because of idle hands, the house leaks.(AS)
19 A feast is made for laughter,
wine(AT) makes life merry,
and money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not revile the king(AU) even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird in the sky may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 9:2 Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have and the bad.
- Ecclesiastes 9:4 Or What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope
- Ecclesiastes 10:16 Or king is a child
Romans 9:30-10:21
Christian Standard Bible
Romans 9:30-10:21
Christian Standard Bible
Israel’s Present State
30 What should we say then?(A) Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained righteousness—namely the righteousness that comes from faith.(B) 31 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness,(C) has not achieved the righteousness of the law.[a](D) 32 Why is that? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were by works.[b] They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(E) 33 As it is written,
Look, I am putting a stone in Zion to stumble over
and a rock to trip over,
and the one who believes on him(F)
will not be put to shame.[c](G)
Righteousness by Faith Alone
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God concerning them[d] is for their salvation. 2 I can testify about them that they have zeal for God,(H) but not according to knowledge. 3 Since they are ignorant of the righteousness of God(I) and attempted to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted to God’s righteousness. 4 For Christ is the end[e] of the law for righteousness(J) to everyone who believes,(K) 5 since Moses writes about the righteousness that is from the law: The one who does these things will live by them.[f](L) 6 But the righteousness that comes from faith(M) speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, “Who will go up to heaven?”[g](N) that is, to bring Christ down 7 or, “Who will go down into the abyss?”[h](O) that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.(P) 8 On the contrary, what does it say? The message is near you, in your mouth and in your heart.[i](Q) This is the message of faith that we proclaim: 9 If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(R) and believe in your heart(S) that God raised him from the dead,(T) you will be saved. 10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, Everyone who believes on him will not be put to shame,[j](U) 12 since there is no distinction between Jew and Greek,(V) because the same Lord(W) of all(X) richly blesses all who call on him. 13 For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.[k](Y)
Israel’s Rejection of the Message
14 How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him?(Z) And how can they hear without a preacher?(AA) 15 And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: How beautiful[l] are the feet of those who bring good news.[m](AB) 16 But not all obeyed the gospel.(AC) For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed our message?[n](AD) 17 So faith comes from what is heard,(AE) and what is heard comes through the message about Christ.[o](AF) 18 But I ask, “Did they not hear?” Yes, they did:
19 But I ask, “Did Israel not understand?” First, Moses said,
I will make you jealous
of those who are not a nation;(AH)
I will make you angry by a nation
that lacks understanding.[q](AI)
20 And Isaiah says boldly,
I was found
by those who were not looking for me;
I revealed myself
to those who were not asking for me.[r](AJ)
21 But to Israel he says, All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and defiant people.[s](AK)
Footnotes
- 9:31 Other mss read the law for righteousness
- 9:32 Other mss add of the law
- 9:33 Is 8:14; 28:16
- 10:1 Other mss read God for Israel
- 10:4 Or goal
- 10:5 Lv 18:5
- 10:6 Dt 9:4; 30:12
- 10:7 Dt 30:13
- 10:8 Dt 30:14
- 10:11 Is 28:16
- 10:13 Jl 2:32
- 10:15 Or welcome, or timely
- 10:15 Is 52:7; Nah 1:15
- 10:16 Is 53:1
- 10:17 Other mss read God
- 10:18 Ps 19:4
- 10:19 Dt 32:21
- 10:20 Is 65:1
- 10:21 Is 65:2
Romans 9:30-10:21
New International Version
Romans 9:30-10:21
New International Version
Israel’s Unbelief
30 What then shall we say?(A) That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;(B) 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness,(C) have not attained their goal.(D) 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone.(E) 33 As it is written:
“See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
and a rock that makes them fall,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[a](F)
10 Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire(G) and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. 2 For I can testify about them that they are zealous(H) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. 3 Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.(I) 4 Christ is the culmination of the law(J) so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.(K)
5 Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.”[b](L) 6 But the righteousness that is by faith(M) says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”[c](N) (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’”[d](O) (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).(P) 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,”[e](Q) that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: 9 If you declare(R) with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,”(S) and believe(T) in your heart that God raised him from the dead,(U) you will be saved.(V) 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[f](W) 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile(X)—the same Lord is Lord of all(Y) and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord(Z) will be saved.”[g](AA)
14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”[h](AB)
16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news.(AC) For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?”[i](AD) 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,(AE) and the message is heard through the word about Christ.(AF) 18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did:
19 Again I ask: Did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,
“I will make you envious(AH) by those who are not a nation;
I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.”[k](AI)
20 And Isaiah boldly says,
“I was found by those who did not seek me;
I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.”[l](AJ)
21 But concerning Israel he says,
Footnotes
- Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
- Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
- Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
- Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
- Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
- Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
- Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
- Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
- Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
- Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
- Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
- Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
- Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2
Psalm 97:8-12
Christian Standard Bible
Psalm 97:8-12
Christian Standard Bible
8 Zion hears and is glad,
Judah’s villages[a] rejoice
because of your judgments, Lord.(A)
9 For you, Lord,
are the Most High over the whole earth;
you are exalted above all the gods.(B)
10 You who love the Lord, hate evil!(C)
He protects the lives of his faithful ones;(D)
he rescues them from the power of the wicked.(E)
11 Light dawns[b][c] for the righteous,
gladness for the upright in heart.(F)
12 Be glad in the Lord, you righteous ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.[d](G)
Psalm 97:8-12
New International Version
Psalm 97:8-12
New International Version
8 Zion hears and rejoices
and the villages of Judah are glad(A)
because of your judgments,(B) Lord.
9 For you, Lord, are the Most High(C) over all the earth;(D)
you are exalted(E) far above all gods.
10 Let those who love the Lord hate evil,(F)
for he guards(G) the lives of his faithful ones(H)
and delivers(I) them from the hand of the wicked.(J)
11 Light shines[a](K) on the righteous(L)
and joy on the upright in heart.(M)
12 Rejoice in the Lord,(N) you who are righteous,
and praise his holy name.(O)
Footnotes
- Psalm 97:11 One Hebrew manuscript and ancient versions (see also 112:4); most Hebrew manuscripts Light is sown
Proverbs 20:26-28
Christian Standard Bible
Proverbs 20:26-28
Christian Standard Bible
28 Loyalty and faithfulness guard a king;
through loyalty he maintains his throne.
Proverbs 20:26-28
New International Version
Proverbs 20:26-28
New International Version
26 A wise king winnows out the wicked;
he drives the threshing wheel over them.(A)
Footnotes
- Proverbs 20:27 Or A person’s words are
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