The Doom of Babylon

17 ^(A)Then one of the ^(B)seven angels who had the ^(C)seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I will show you ^(D)the judgment of the ^(E)great prostitute who ^(F)sits on many waters, ² with whom ^(G)the kings of the earth committed acts of sexual immorality, and ^(H)those who live on the earth ^(I)became drunk with the wine of her sexual immorality.” ³ And ^(J)he carried me away ^[a](K)in the Spirit ^(L)into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a ^(M)scarlet beast, full of ^(N)blasphemous names, having ^(O)seven heads and ten horns. ⁴ The woman ^(P)was clothed in purple and scarlet, and ^[b]adorned with gold, precious ^[c]stones, and pearls, holding in her hand ^(Q)a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her sexual immorality, ⁵ and on her forehead a name was written, ^[d]a ^(R)mystery: “^(S)BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF PROSTITUTES AND OF ^(T)THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” ⁶ And I saw the woman drunk with ^(U)the blood of the ^[e]saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus. When I saw her, I wondered ^[f]greatly. ⁷ And the angel said to me, “Why ^[g]do you wonder? I will tell you the ^(V)mystery of the woman and of the beast that carries her, which has the ^(W)seven heads and the ten horns.

⁸ “^(X)The beast that you saw ^(Y)was, and is not, and is about to ^(Z)come up out of the ^(AA)abyss and ^[h](AB)go to destruction. And ^(AC)those who live on the earth, ^(AD)whose names have not been written in the book of life ^(AE)from the foundation of the world, will ^(AF)wonder when they see the beast, that he was, and is not, and will ^[i]come. ^9 (AG)Here is the mind which has wisdom. The ^(AH)seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, ¹⁰ and they are seven ^(AI)kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while. ¹¹ The beast which ^(AJ)was, and is not, is himself also an eighth and is one of the seven, and he ^(AK)goes to destruction. ¹² The ^(AL)ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have not yet received a kingdom, but they receive authority as kings with the beast ^(AM)for one hour. ¹³ These have ^(AN)one ^[j]purpose, and they give their power and authority to the beast.

Victory for the Lamb

¹⁴ These will wage ^(AO)war against the Lamb, and the Lamb will ^(AP)overcome them because He is ^(AQ)Lord of lords and ^(AR)King of kings; and ^(AS)those who are with Him are the ^(AT)called and chosen and faithful.”

¹⁵ And he *said to me, “The ^(AU)waters which you saw where the prostitute sits are ^(AV)peoples and multitudes, and nations and languages. ¹⁶ And the ^(AW)ten horns which you saw, and the beast, these will hate the prostitute and will make her ^(AX)desolate and ^(AY)naked, and will ^(AZ)eat her flesh and will ^(BA)burn her up with fire. ¹⁷ For ^(BB)God has put it in their hearts to execute His ^[k]purpose ^[l]by ^(BC)having a common purpose, and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the ^(BD)words of God will be fulfilled. ¹⁸ The woman whom you saw is ^(BE)the great city, which ^[m]reigns over the kings of the earth.”

People Are in the Hand of God

9 For I have taken all this to my heart, even to ^[a]examine ^[b]it all, that righteous people, wise people, and their deeds are ^(A)in the hand of God. ^(B)People do not know whether it will be ^(C)love or hatred; anything ^[c]awaits them.

^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 the unclean; for the person who offers a sacrifice and for the one who does not sacrifice. As the good person is, so is the sinner; the one who swears an oath is just as the one who ^[d]is afraid to swear an oath. ³ This is an evil in everything that is done under the sun, that there is ^(F)one fate for everyone. Furthermore, ^(G)the hearts of the sons of mankind are full of evil, and ^(H)insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterward they go to the dead. ⁴ For whoever is joined to all the living, there is hope; for better a live dog, than a dead lion. ⁵ For the living know that they will die; but the dead ^(I)do not know anything, nor do they have a reward any longer, 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 See that your ^(M)clothes are white all the time, and that there is no lack of ^(N)oil on your head. ^9 [e]Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your ^(O)futile life which He has given you under the sun, ^[f]all the days of your futility; for this is your ^(P)reward in life and in your work 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, planning, 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 the skillful; for time and ^(W)chance overtake them all. ¹² For indeed, a person does not ^(X)know his time: like fish that are caught in a treacherous net and ^(Y)birds caught in a snare, so the sons of mankind are ^(Z)ensnared at an evil time when it ^(AA)suddenly falls on them.

¹³ This too I saw as wisdom under the sun, and ^[g]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 ^[h]saved 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 ^[i]ignored. ¹⁷ The ^(AG)words of the wise heard in calm 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.

A Little Foolishness

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

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like a mistake that proceeds from the ruler: ^6 (F)foolishness is set in many exalted places while the rich sit in humble places. ⁷ I have seen ^(G)slaves riding ^(H)on horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.

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

Cast Your Bread on the Waters

11 ^(A)Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you ^(B)will find it ^[a]after many days. ^2 (C)Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what ^(D)misfortune may occur on the earth. ³ If the clouds are full, they pour out rain on the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it ^[b]lies. ⁴ One who watches the wind will not sow and one who looks at the clouds will not harvest. ⁵ Just as you do not ^(E)know the path of the ^[c]wind, and ^(F)how bones are formed in the womb of the ^[d]pregnant woman, so you do not ^(G)know the activity of God who makes everything.

⁶ Sow your seed ^(H)in the morning and do not ^[e]be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether ^[f]one or the other will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.

⁷ The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to ^(I)see the sun. ⁸ Indeed, if a person lives many years, let him ^(J)rejoice in them all; but let him remember the ^(K)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 ^[g]impulses of your heart and the ^[h](L)desires of your eyes. Yet know that ^(M)God will bring you to judgment for all these things. ¹⁰ So remove ^[i]sorrow from your heart and keep ^[j](N)pain away from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are ^[k]fleeting.

Remember God in Your Youth

12 ^(A)Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the ^(B)evil days come and the years approach when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ² before the ^(C)sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; ³ on the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and strong men are ^(D)bent over, the grinders stop working because they are few, and ^(E)those who look through ^[a]windows grow ^[b]dim; ⁴ and the doors on the street are shut as the ^(F)sound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the ^(G)daughters of song will ^[c]sing softly. ⁵ Furthermore, people are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along, and the caper berry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal ^(H)home while the ^(I)mourners move around in the street. ⁶ Remember your Creator before the silver cord is ^[d]broken and the ^(J)golden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the spring is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; ⁷ then the ^(K)dust will return to the earth as it was, and the ^[e](L)spirit will return to ^(M)God who gave it. ⁸ “^(N)Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”

Purpose of the Preacher

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

¹¹ The ^(R)words of the wise are like ^[f](S)goads, and masters of these collections are like driven ^(T)nails; they are given by one Shepherd. ¹² But beyond this, my son, be warned: the ^[g]writing of ^(U)many books is endless, and excessive ^(V)study is ^[h]wearying to the body.

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

God Praised and Pleas to Give Victory.

A Song, a Psalm of David.