Old/New Testament
10 Dead flies cause a bad smell and ruin[a] the ointment of the perfumer.
So also a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise inclines to his right,
but the heart of the fool inclines to his left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, he lacks sense;
he tells everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the anger of the ruler rises against you,
do not leave your post,
for calmness can undo great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun—
it is an error that proceeds from a ruler!
6 The fool is set in many high places,
but the rich sit in lowly places.
7 I have even seen slaves riding on horses
and princes walking like slaves on the earth!
Accidents Happen—Even to Professionals
8 Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
Whoever breaks through a wall, a snake will bite him.
9 Whoever quarries[b] stones will be wounded by them.
Whoever splits logs will be endangered by them.
Hard Work and Skill Alone Cannot Succeed—Wisdom is Necessary
10 If the ax is blunt but one does not sharpen its edge,
he must exert more effort,[c]
but the advantage of wisdom is it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before the charming,
the snake charmer will not succeed.[d]
The Consequences of Foolishness
12 The wise man wins favor by the words of his mouth,
but the fool is devoured by his own lips.
13 He begins by saying what is foolish
and ends by uttering what is wicked delusion.
14 The fool talks too much,[e]
for no one knows what will be.
Who can tell anyone what will happen in the future?[f]
15 The fool is so worn out by a hard day’s work
he cannot even find his way home at night.[g]
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is a youth
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobility
and your princes feast at the proper time—
to gain strength and not to get drunk.
18 Through sloth the roof sinks in,
and through idleness of hands the house leaks.
19 Feasts are held for celebration,[h]
wine cheers the living,
and money answers everything.
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich even in your own bedroom,
for a bird of the sky may carry your voice;
a winged messenger may repeat your words.
Living in the Light of the Limits of Human Knowledge
11 Send out your bread on the water,
for in many days you will find it.
2 Divide your share in seven or in eight,
for you do not know what disaster will happen on the earth.
3 When the clouds are full,
they empty rain on the earth.
Whether a tree falls to the south or whether it falls to the north,
the place where the tree falls—there it will be.
4 Whoever watches the wind will not sow;
whoever watches the clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you do not know how the path of the wind[i] goes,
nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother’s womb,
so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not let your hands rest in the evening,
for you do not know what will prosper—
whether this or that, or whether both of them alike will succeed.
Enjoy Life to the Fullest within the Auspices of the Fear of God
7 The light is sweet,
and it is pleasant for the eyes to see the sun.
8 For if a man lives many years,
let him rejoice in all of them!
Let him remember that the days of the darkness will be many—
all that is coming is vanity!
9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth!
Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes—
but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.
10 Banish anxiety from your heart,
and put away pain from your body,
for youth and vigor are vanity.
Advice to the Young: Life is Short and Then You Die
12 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth—
before the days of trouble come
and the years draw near when you will say,
“I find no pleasure in them!”
2 Before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars darken
and the clouds return after the rain.
3 When the guards of the house tremble,
and the men of strength are bent;
the grinders cease because they are few,
and those looking through the windows see dimly.
4 When the doors on the street are shut,
when the sound of the grinding mill is low;
one rises up to the sound of the bird,
and all the daughters of song are brought low.
5 They are afraid of heights,
and terrors are on the road.
The almond tree blossoms,
and the grasshopper draws itself along, and desire fails
because man goes to his eternal home,
and the mourners go about in the streets.
6 Before the silver cord is snapped
and the golden bowl is broken;
and the jar at the foundation is broken,
and the wheel at the cistern is broken.
7 And the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the breath returns to God who gave it.
Motto Restated
8 “Vanity of vanity!” says the Teacher.[j]
“Everything is vanity!”
Epilogue
9 The Teacher[k] was full of wisdom, and he taught the people with knowledge. He carefully considered many proverbs and carefully arranged them. 10 The Teacher[l] sought to find delightful words,[m] and he wrote[n] what is upright—truthful words.
11 The words of the wise are like cattle goads; the collections of the sages are like pricks inflicted by one shepherd.[o] 12 My son, be careful about anything beyond these things.[p] For the writing of books is endless, and too much study is wearisome.[q]
13 Now that all has been heard, here is the final conclusion:
Fear God and obey his commandments,
for this is the whole duty of man.
14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle not from men nor by men but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead, 2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. 3 Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ,[a] 4 who gave himself for our sins in order to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
A Different Gospel
6 I am astonished that you are turning away so quickly from the one who called you by the grace of Christ to a different gospel, 7 not that there is a different gospel, except there are some who are disturbing you and wanting to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim a gospel to you contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let him be accursed! 9 As we said before, and now I say again, if anyone is proclaiming a gospel to you contrary to what you have received, let him be accursed! 10 For am I now making an appeal to people or to God? Or am I seeking to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.
Paul’s Defense of His Apostleship
11 For I make known to you, brothers, the gospel that has been proclaimed by me, that it is not of human origin[b]. 12 For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it, 14 and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, because[c] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.
15 But when the one who set me apart[d] from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in me in order that I would proclaim the gospel about him among the Gentiles, immediately I did not consult with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away to Arabia and I returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days, 19 but I did not see any others of the apostles except James, the brother of the Lord. 20 (Now the things which I am writing to you, behold, I assure you before God that I am not lying.) 21 Then I came to the regions of Syria and of Cilicia, 22 but I was unknown in person[e] to the churches of Judea that are in Christ, 23 and they were only hearing, “The one formerly persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith that formerly he was attempting to destroy,” 24 and they were glorifying God because of me.
2012 by Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software