Ecclesiastes 7:1
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
A Disillusioned View of Life
7 A good name is better than precious ointment,
and the day of death, than the day of birth.(A)
Exodus 30:23-28
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23 “Take the finest spices: of liquid myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet-smelling cinnamon half as much, that is, two hundred fifty, and two hundred fifty of aromatic cane, 24 and five hundred of cassia—measured by the sanctuary shekel—and a hin of olive oil, 25 and you shall make of these a sacred anointing oil blended as by the perfumer; it shall be a holy anointing oil.(A) 26 With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the covenant(B) 27 and the table and all its utensils and the lampstand and its utensils and the altar of incense 28 and the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the basin with its stand;
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John 12:3
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3 Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’s feet, and wiped them[a] with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.(A)
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- 12.3 Gk his feet
Revelation 14:4
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4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb,(A)
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Philippians 2:9-10
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9 Therefore God exalted him even more highly
and gave him the name
that is above every other name,(A)
10 so that at the name given to Jesus
every knee should bend,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,(B)
Psalm 133:2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
2 It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.(A)
Psalm 45:14
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14 in many-colored robes she is led to the king;
behind her the virgins, her companions, follow.(A)
Psalm 45:7-8
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7 you love righteousness and hate wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;(A)
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;(B)
Philippians 4:18
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18 I have been paid in full and have more than enough; I am fully satisfied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.(A)
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2 Corinthians 11:2
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2 I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I promised you in marriage to one husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.(A)
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2 Corinthians 2:14-16
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14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession and through us spreads in every place the fragrance that comes from knowing him.[a] 15 For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing:(A) 16 to the one group a fragrance from death[b] to death, to the other a fragrance from life[c] to life. Who is qualified for these things?(B)
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Matthew 25:1
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The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids
25 “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten young women[a] took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.[b](A)
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Matthew 1:21-23
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21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”(A) 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”(B)
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Jeremiah 23:5-6
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The Righteous Branch of David
5 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.(A) 6 In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: “The Lord is our righteousness.”(B)
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Isaiah 61:3
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3 to provide for those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a garland instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.(A)
Isaiah 9:6-7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
6 For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders,
and he is named
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.(A)
7 Great will be his authority,[a]
and there shall be endless peace
for the throne of David and his kingdom.
He will establish and uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time onward and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.(B)
Footnotes
- 9.7 Gk: Meaning of Heb uncertain
Psalm 89:15-16
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
15 Happy are the people who know the festal shout,
who walk, O Lord, in the light of your countenance;(A)
16 they exult in your name all day long
and extol[a] your righteousness.
Footnotes
- 89.16 Cn: Heb are exalted in
Exodus 34:5-7
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name, “The Lord.”[a](A) 6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed,
“The Lord, the Lord,
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,(B)
7 keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,[b]
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
yet by no means clearing the guilty,
but visiting the iniquity of the parents
upon the children
and the children’s children
to the third and the fourth generation.”(C)
Proverbs 27:9
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
9 Perfume and incense make the heart glad,
but the soul is torn by trouble.[a]
Footnotes
- 27.9 Gk: Heb the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.