The Temptation and Fall of Man^(A)

3 Now ^(B)the serpent was ^(C)more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the ^(D)fruit of the trees of the garden; ³ but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you ^(E)touch it, lest you die.’ ”

^4 (F)Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ So when the woman ^(G)saw that the tree was good for food, that it was ^[a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit ^(H)and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, ^(I)and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves ^[b]coverings.

The Vanity of Pleasure^(A)

2 I said ^(B)in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with ^(C)mirth; ^[a]therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, ^(D)this also was vanity. ² I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” ^3 (E)I searched in my heart how ^[b]to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was ^(F)good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

⁴ I made my works great, I built myself ^(G)houses, and planted myself vineyards. ⁵ I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made myself water pools from which to ^[c]water the growing trees of the grove. ⁷ I acquired male and female servants, and had ^[d]servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. ^8 (H)I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and ^[e]musical instruments of all kinds.

^9 (I)So I became great and ^[f]excelled ^(J)more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

^14 (A)Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For ^(B)what ^[a]fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what ^[b]communion has light with darkness? ¹⁵ And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ^(C)you^[c] are the temple of the living God. As God has said:

¹⁷ Therefore

The Corinthians’ Repentance

7 Therefore,^(H) having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

²⁶ If anyone ^[a]among you thinks he is religious, and ^(A)does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. ^27 (B)Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: ^(C)to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, ^(D)and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

^4 [a]Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that ^(A)friendship with the world is enmity with God? ^(B)Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, ^(C)“The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?

⁶ But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:

Humility Cures Worldliness

⁷ Therefore submit to God. ^(E)Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ^8 (F)Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. ^(G)Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and ^(H)purify your hearts, you double-minded. ^9 (I)Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. ^10 (J)Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Do Not Love the World

^15 (A)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(B)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^(C)the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And ^(D)the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.