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10 Dead flies make (A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 (B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
but a fool's heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
and he (C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you, (D)do not leave your place,
(E)for calmness[a] will lay great offenses to rest.
5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were (F)an error proceeding from the ruler: 6 (G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. 7 (H)I have seen slaves (I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 He who (J)digs a pit will fall into it,
and (K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
9 (L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
and he who (M)splits logs is endangered by them.
10 If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
he must use more strength,
but wisdom helps one to succeed.[b]
11 If the serpent bites before it is (N)charmed,
there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise man's mouth (O)win him favor,[c]
but (P)the lips of a fool consume him.
13 The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
and the end of his talk is evil madness.
14 (Q)A fool multiplies words,
though no man knows what is to be,
and who can tell him (R)what will be after him?
15 The toil of a fool wearies him,
for he does not know (S)the way to the city.
16 (T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
and your princes feast in the morning!
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time,
for strength, and not for (U)drunkenness!
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through indolence the house leaks.
19 Bread is made for laughter,
and (V)wine gladdens life,
and (W)money answers everything.
20 Even in your thoughts, (X)do not curse the king,
nor in your (Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
or some winged creature tell the matter.
Cast Your Bread upon the Waters
11 (Z)Cast your bread upon the waters,
(AA)for you will find it after many days.
2 (AB)Give a portion to (AC)seven, or even to eight,
(AD)for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain,
they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow,
and he who regards the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way (AE)the spirit comes to (AF)the bones in the womb[d] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 In the morning sow your seed, and at evening (AG)withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
7 Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to (AH)see the sun.
8 So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember (AI)that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is (AJ)vanity.[e]
9 (AK)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. (AL)Walk in the ways of your heart and (AM)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things (AN)God will bring you into judgment.
10 Remove vexation from your heart, and (AO)put away pain[f] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.
Remember Your Creator in Your Youth
12 Remember also your Creator in (AP)the days of your youth, before (AQ)the evil days come and the years draw near of which (AR)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; 2 before (AS)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, 3 in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and (AT)those who look through the windows are dimmed, 4 and (AU)the doors on the street are shut—when (AV)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all (AW)the daughters of song are brought low— 5 they are afraid also of what is high, and (AX)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,[g] and desire fails, because man is going to his (AY)eternal (AZ)home, and the (BA)mourners go about the streets— 6 before the silver cord is snapped, or (BB)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is (BC)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, 7 and (BD)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and (BE)the spirit returns to God (BF)who gave it. 8 (BG)Vanity[h] of vanities, says (BH)the Preacher; all is vanity.
Fear God and Keep His Commandments
9 Besides being wise, (BI)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging (BJ)many proverbs with great care. 10 (BK)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.
11 (BL)The words of the wise are like goads, and like (BM)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are (BN)given by (BO)one Shepherd. 12 My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making (BP)many books there is no end, and (BQ)much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the matter; all has been heard. (BR)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.[i] 14 For (BS)God will bring every deed into judgment, with[j] every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Encouragement to Give Generously
8 We want you to know, brothers,[a] about the grace of God that has been (A)given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and (B)their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave (C)according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly (D)for the favor[b] of taking part in (E)the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they (F)gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, (G)we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you (H)this act of grace. 7 But as (I)you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you[c]—(J)see that you excel in this act of grace also.
8 (K)I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that (L)though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. 10 And in this matter (M)I give my judgment: (N)this benefits you, who (O)a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable (P)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply (Q)their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, (R)“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”
Why Should I Fear in Times of Trouble?
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of (A)the Sons of Korah.
49 (B)Hear this, all peoples!
Give ear, all inhabitants of the world,
2 (C)both low and high,
rich and poor together!
3 My mouth shall speak (D)wisdom;
the meditation of my heart shall be understanding.
4 I will incline my ear to (E)a proverb;
I will solve my (F)riddle to the music of the lyre.
5 (G)Why should I fear in (H)times of trouble,
when the iniquity of those who cheat me surrounds me,
6 those who (I)trust in their wealth
and boast of the abundance of their riches?
7 Truly no man (J)can ransom another,
or (K)give to God (L)the price of his life,
8 for (M)the ransom of their life is costly
and can never suffice,
9 that he should live on forever
and (N)never see the pit.
10 For he sees (O)that even the wise die;
(P)the fool and the stupid alike must perish
and (Q)leave their wealth to others.
11 Their (R)graves are their homes forever,[a]
their dwelling places (S)to all generations,
though they (T)called lands by their own names.
12 Man in his pomp (U)will not remain;
(V)he is like the beasts that perish.
13 This is the path of those who have (W)foolish confidence;
yet after them people approve of their boasts.[b] Selah
14 Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol;
death shall be their shepherd,
and the upright (X)shall rule over them in the morning.
(Y)Their form shall be consumed (Z)in Sheol, with no place to dwell.
15 But God will (AA)ransom my soul from the power of Sheol,
for he will (AB)receive me. Selah
16 Be not afraid when a man becomes rich,
when the glory of his house increases.
17 (AC)For when he dies he will (AD)carry nothing away;
his glory will not go down after him.
18 For though, while he lives, he counts himself (AE)blessed
—and though you get praise when you do well for yourself—
19 his soul will (AF)go to the generation of his fathers,
who will never again (AG)see light.
20 (AH)Man in his pomp yet without understanding is like the beasts that perish.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.