A Little Foolishness

10 Dead flies make a ^(A)perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. ² A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish ^(B)man’s heart directs him toward the left. ³ Even when the fool walks along the road, his ^[a]sense is lacking and he ^[b](C)demonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. ⁴ If the ruler’s ^[c]temper rises against you, ^(D)do not abandon your position, because ^(E)composure allays great offenses.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler— ^6 (F)folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen ^(G)slaves riding ^(H)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

^8 (I)He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a ^(J)serpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. ⁹ He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. ¹⁰ If the ^[d]axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must ^[e]exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. ¹¹ If the serpent bites ^[f](K)before being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. ^12 (L)Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a ^(M)fool consume him; ¹³ the beginning of ^[g]his talking is folly and the end of ^[h]it is wicked ^(N)madness. ¹⁴ Yet the ^(O)fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him ^(P)what will come after him? ¹⁵ The toil of ^[i]a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. ¹⁶ Woe to you, O land, whose ^(Q)king is a lad and whose princes ^[j]feast in the morning. ¹⁷ Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for ^(R)drunkenness. ¹⁸ Through ^(S)indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. ¹⁹ Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and ^(T)wine makes life merry, and ^(U)money ^[k]is the answer to everything. ²⁰ Furthermore, ^(V)in your bedchamber do not ^(W)curse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

11 ^(X)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you ^(Y)will find it ^[l]after many days. ^2 (Z)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what ^(AA)misfortune may occur on the earth. ³ If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it ^[m]lies. ⁴ He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. ⁵ Just as you do not ^(AB)know ^[n]the path of the wind and ^(AC)how bones are formed in the womb of the ^[o]pregnant woman, so you do not ^(AD)know the activity of God who makes all things.

⁶ Sow your seed ^(AE)in the morning and do not ^[p]be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether ^[q]morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

⁷ The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to ^(AF)see the sun. ⁸ Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him ^(AG)rejoice in them all, and let him remember the ^(AH)days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

⁹ Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the ^[r]impulses of your heart and the ^[s](AI)desires of your eyes. Yet know that ^(AJ)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. ¹⁰ So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away ^[t](AK)pain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.

Remember God in Your Youth

12 ^(AL)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the ^(AM)evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; ² before the ^(AN)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; ³ in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men ^(AO)stoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and ^(AP)those who look through ^[u]windows grow dim; ⁴ and the doors on the street are shut as the ^(AQ)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the ^(AR)daughters of song will ^[v]sing softly. ⁵ Furthermore, ^[w]men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal ^(AS)home while ^(AT)mourners go about in the street. ⁶ Remember Him before the silver cord is ^[x]broken and the ^(AU)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; ⁷ then the ^(AV)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the ^[y](AW)spirit will return to ^(AX)God who gave it. ⁸ “^(AY)Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”

Purpose of the Preacher

⁹ In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged ^(AZ)many proverbs. ¹⁰ The Preacher sought to find ^(BA)delightful words and to write ^(BB)words of truth correctly.

¹¹ The ^(BC)words of wise men are like ^(BD)goads, and masters of these collections are like ^[z]well-driven ^(BE)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹² But beyond this, my son, be warned: the ^[aa]writing of ^(BF)many books is endless, and excessive ^(BG)devotion to books is wearying to the body.

¹³ The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: ^(BH)fear God and ^(BI)keep His commandments, because this applies to ^(BJ)every person. ¹⁴ For ^(BK)God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.

“Preach the Word”

4 ^(A)I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to ^(B)judge the living and the dead, and by His ^(C)appearing and His kingdom: ² preach ^(D)the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(E)reprove, rebuke, exhort, with ^[a]great ^(F)patience and instruction. ³ For ^(G)the time will come when they will not endure ^(H)sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴ and ^(I)will turn away their ears from the truth and ^(J)will turn aside to myths. ⁵ But you, ^(K)be sober in all things, ^(L)endure hardship, do the work of an ^(M)evangelist, fulfill your ^(N)ministry.

⁶ For I am already being ^(O)poured out as a drink offering, and the time of ^(P)my departure has come. ^7 (Q)I have fought the good fight, I have finished ^(R)the course, I have kept ^(S)the faith; ⁸ in the future there ^(T)is laid up for me ^(U)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on ^(V)that day; and not only to me, but also to ^(W)all who have loved His ^(X)appearing.

Personal Concerns

^9 (Y)Make every effort to come to me soon; ¹⁰ for ^(Z)Demas, having loved ^(AA)this present ^[b]world, has deserted me and gone to ^(AB)Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to ^[c](AC)Galatia, ^(AD)Titus to Dalmatia. ^11 (AE)Only ^(AF)Luke is with me. Pick up ^(AG)Mark and bring him with you, ^(AH)for he is useful to me for service. ¹² But ^(AI)Tychicus I have sent to ^(AJ)Ephesus. ¹³ When you come bring the cloak which I left at ^(AK)Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. ^14 (AL)Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; ^(AM)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵ Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our ^[d]teaching.

¹⁶ At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; ^(AN)may it not be counted against them. ¹⁷ But the Lord stood with me and ^(AO)strengthened me, so that through me ^(AP)the proclamation might ^[e]be ^(AQ)fully accomplished, and that all ^(AR)the Gentiles might hear; and I was ^(AS)rescued out of ^(AT)the lion’s mouth. ¹⁸ The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will ^[f](AU)bring me safely to His ^(AV)heavenly kingdom; ^(AW)to ^[g]Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

¹⁹ Greet Prisca and ^(AX)Aquila, and ^(AY)the household of Onesiphorus. ^20 (AZ)Erastus remained at ^(BA)Corinth, but ^(BB)Trophimus I left sick at ^(BC)Miletus. ^21 (BD)Make every effort to come before ^(BE)winter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.

^22 (BF)The Lord be with your spirit. ^(BG)Grace be with you.