Old/New Testament
Wisdom and Folly
10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink,
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 The heart of the wise is to his right,
and the heart of the fool is to his left.
3 Even as the fool walks along the way,
his heart lacks sense
and tells everyone what a fool he is.
4 If a ruler’s spirit rises up against you,
do not leave your post,
for composure allays great offences.
5 There is a wrong I have seen under the sun
like an error proceeding from a ruler.
6 Fools are placed in many high positions,
while the rich sit in low ones.
7 I have seen slaves on horses,
and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it,
and whoever breaks through a fence may be bitten by a snake.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be hurt by them,
and whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the iron axe is blunt
and one doesn’t sharpen the edge,
then he must exert more force.
So wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no profit for the charmer.
12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,
but the lips of a fool destroy him.
13 The words from his mouth begin as folly
and end as grievous madness—
14 and the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell him what will happen after him?
15 The mischief of fools wearies them
for he doesn’t know how to go to town.
16 Oy to you, O land, when your king is a youth[a]
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Happy are you, O land, when your king is a son of nobles,
and your princes eat at the proper time—
in self-control and not in drunkenness!
18 By laziness the rafters sag,
and by idle hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is made for laughter,
and wine makes life glad—
but money is the answer for everything.
20 Do not ridicule the king—even in your thoughts,
nor curse the rich in your bedroom.
For a bird of the air may carry your voice,
and a winged creature may report your words.
Wisdom of the Long View
11 Cast your bread upon the waters,
for after many days you will find it.
2 Give portions to seven, or even to eight,
for you do not know what disaster may happen upon the earth.
3 If the clouds are full,
they empty out rain upon the earth.
Whether a tree falls to south or north,
the tree lies wherever it falls.
4 Whoever keeps watching the wind will not sow
and whoever gazes at the clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you do not know how the spirit passes into the bones in the womb of a pregnant woman,
so you do not know the work of God who makes all things.
6 In the morning sow your seed,
and in the evening do not let your hand be idle,
for you do not know if this or that will succeed,
or if both will prosper together.
7 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 them all.
But let him remember the days of darkness—
for there will be many.
Everything to come is obscure.
9 Rejoice, young man, in your childhood,
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.
Walk in the ways of your heart
and in the sight of your eyes,
but know that for all these things
God will bring you to judgment.
10 So banish anxiety from your heart
and cast off distress from your body,
for youth and prime of life are fleeting.
Ode for the Aging
12 So remember your Creator
in the days of your youth:
before the days of misery come,
and years draw near when you will say:
“I have no pleasure in them”—
2 before the sun and light and moon
and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds dissipate after the rain,
3 in the day the keepers of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
when grinders stop because they are few,
and those peering out windows grow dim,
4 when doors are shut in the street
and the sound of the mill fades,
when one arises at the chirp of a bird
and all their songs grow faint,
5 when they also are afraid of heights
and of dangers on the road,
when the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper drags itself along,
and the caper berry fails to excite—
for a man is going to his eternal home,
and mourners go about in the street—
6 before the silver cord is snapped,
or the golden bowl is crushed,
or the jug at the cistern is shattered,
or the wheel at the well is broken.
7 Then the dust returns to the ground it came from,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 “Evanescent vapors,” says Kohelet.
All is futility.
Conclusion: Fear God
9 Furthermore, Kohelet was not only wise but he also taught the people knowledge. He pondered, sought out, and set in order many proverbs. 10 Kohelet searched to find delightful words and truthful, accurate sayings. 11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collective sayings are like firmly affixed nails. They have been given by one Shepherd. 12 Be warned my son of anything in addition to them: There is no end to the making of many books, and excessive study wearies the flesh.
13 A final word, when all has been heard:
Fear God and keep His mitzvot!
For this applies to all mankind.
14 God will bring every deed into judgment,
including everything that is hidden,
whether it is good or evil.
Greetings from Paul
1 Paul, an emissary (sent not from men or by man, but by Yeshua the Messiah and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead), 2 and all the brothers with me.
To Messiah’s communities of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and shalom from God our Father and our Lord Yeshua the Messiah— 4 who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father— 5 to Him be the glory forever and ever! Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly turning away from the One who called you by the grace of Messiah, to a different “good news”— 7 not that there is another, but only some who are confusing you and want to distort the Good News of Messiah. 8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should announce any “good news” to you other than what we have proclaimed to you, let that person be cursed! 9 As we have said before, so I now repeat: if anyone proclaims to you “good news” other than what you received, let that person be under a curse! 10 Am I now trying to win people’s approval, or God’s? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Messiah.
How Paul Was Sent Out
11 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the Good News proclaimed by me is not man-made. 12 I did not receive it from any human, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Yeshua the Messiah.
13 For you have heard of my earlier behavior in Judaism—how I persecuted God’s community beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 I was even advancing within Judaism beyond many my own age among my people, being a more extreme observer of my fathers’ traditions. 15 But when God—who set me apart from birth and called me through His grace[a]—was pleased 16 to reveal His Son to me so I would proclaim Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with any human. 17 I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who were emissaries before me, either. Instead I went away to Arabia and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then three years later I went to Jerusalem to visit with Peter, and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw no other emissaries except Jacob, the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I’m writing you, before God, I do not lie.)
21 Then I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 But I was personally unknown to Messiah’s communities of Judea; 23 they only kept hearing, “The one who once persecuted us now proclaims the Good News he once tried to destroy!” 24 So they were praising God because of me.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.