Old/New Testament
7 Surely there are many things that increase vanity, and how does it benefit a man?
2 For who knows what is good for man in life, in the number of the days of the life of his vanity, seeing he makes them as a shadow? For who can show a man what shall come after him under the Sun?
3 A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of death is better than the day one is born.
4 It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of all men. And the living shall take it to heart.
5 Anger is better than laughter; for by a sad look the heart is made better.
6 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning. But the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.
7 Better it is to hear the rebuke of a wise man than that a man should hear the song of fools.
8 For like the noise of the thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.
9 Surely oppression makes a wise man mad. And the reward destroys the heart.
10 The end of a thing is better than its beginning. To be patient in spirit is better than to be proud in spirit.
11 Do not hasten your spirit to anger. For anger rests in the bosom of fools.
12 Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For you do not inquire wisely of this thing.
13 Wisdom is good with an inheritance, and excellent to those who see the Sun.
14 For man shall rest in the shadow of wisdom, and in the shadow of silver. But the excellency of the knowledge of wisdom gives life to its possessors.
15 Behold the work of God. For who can make straight that which He has made crooked?
16 In the day of wealth, be of good comfort. And in the day of affliction consider this: God has also made this as opposed to that, so that man would find nothing after Him.
17 I have seen all things in the days of my vanity. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness. And there is a wicked man who continues long in his malice.
18 Do not be overly righteous or make yourself overly wise. Why should you be desolate?
19 Be neither overly wicked nor foolish. Why should you not perish in your time?
20 It is good that you lay hold on this, but still not withdraw your hand from that. For he who fears God shall come forth from them all.
21 Wisdom shall strengthen the wise men more than ten mighty princes who are in the city.
22 Surely there is no man righteous on the Earth, who does good and does not sin.
23 Also, do not give your heart to all the words that men speak, lest you hear your servant cursing you.
24 For oftentimes, your heart also knows that you likewise have cursed others.
25 All this I have tested by wisdom. I thought, “I will be wise,” but it went far from me.
26 It is far off. What may it be? It is profoundly deep. Who can find it?
27 I have applied my heart to know and to inquire and to search wisdom and reason and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness of madness.
28 And I find the woman whose heart is as nets and snares, and her hands as bands, more bitter than death. He who is good before God shall be delivered from her. But the sinner shall be taken by her.
29 “Behold,” says the preacher, “this I have found, adding one by one to find the answer.
30 “And yet my soul seeks, but I do not find it. I have found one man of a thousand. But I have not found a woman among them all.
31 “Lo, only this have I found: that God has made man righteous. But they have sought many inventions.”
8 Who is as the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? The wisdom of a man makes his face shine. And the strength of his face shall be changed.
2 I say, “Guard to the commandment of the king, and the word of your oath to God.
3 “Do not hurry to go forth from His sight. Do not stand in an evil thing. For He will do whatever pleases Him.”
4 Wherever the word of the king is, there is power. And who shall say to him, “What are you doing?”
5 He who keeps the commandment shall know no evil thing. And the heart of the wise shall know the time and judgment.
6 For to every purpose there is a time and judgment, because the misery of man is great upon him.
7 For he does not know that which shall be. For who can tell him when it shall be?
8 Man is not Lord over the spirit, to retain the spirit. Nor does he have power on the day of death or deliverance in the battle. Nor shall wickedness deliver its possessors.
9 All this have I seen and have given my heart to every work which is wrought under the Sun. And I saw a time that man rules over man to his own hurt.
10 And likewise I saw the wicked buried, and they returned. And those who came from the holy place were still forgotten in the city where they had done right. This also is vanity.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily. Therefore, the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Even if a sinner does evil a hundred times, and God prolongs his days, I still know that it shall be well with those who fear the LORD and do reverence before Him.
13 But it shall not be well to the wicked. Nor shall he prolong his days. He shall be like a shadow, because he did not fear before God.
14 There is a vanity which is done upon the Earth, so that there are righteous men to whom it comes according to the work of the wicked. And there are wicked men to whom it comes according to the work of the righteous. I also thought that this is vanity.
15 And I praised joy. For there is no goodness to man under the Sun, except to eat and to drink and to rejoice. For this is joined to his labor during his life that God has given him under the Sun.
16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to behold the business that is done on Earth — that the eyes of man takes sleep at neither day nor night —
17 then I beheld the whole work of God: that man cannot find out the work that is wrought under the Sun which man labors to seek and cannot find. Yea, and though the wise man may say he knows it, he cannot find it.
9 I have surely given my heart to all this, and to declare all this, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the Hand of God. And no man knows either love or hatred of all that is before him.
2 All things are the same for everyone. And the same conditions are for the righteous and for the wicked, for the good and pure and for the polluted, for him who sacrifices and for him who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner, for he who swears as for he who fears an oath.
3 This is evil among all that is done under the Sun, that there is one condition for all. Also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their hearts while they live. And after that, they go to the dead.
4 Surely, whoever is joined to all the living has hope. For it is better to be a living dog than a dead lion.
5 For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know nothing at all. Nor do they have a reward anymore. For their remembrance is forgotten.
6 Also, their love and their hatred and their envy have now perished. And they have no more part in all that is done under the Sun, forever.
7 Go. Eat your bread with joy and drink your wine with a cheerful heart! For God now accepts your works.
8 At all times, let your garments be white. And do not let oil be lacking upon your head.
9 Rejoice with the wife whom you have loved all the days of the life of your vanity, whom God has given you under the Sun, all the days of your vanity. For this is your portion in life, and in your travail in which you labor under the Sun.
10 All that your hand shall find to do, do it with all your power. For there is neither work nor invention nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave where you go.
11 I returned and I saw under the Sun that the race is not to the swift or the battle to the strong or bread to the wise or riches to men of understanding or favor to men of knowledge. But time and chance come to them all.
12 For man does not know his time. But as the fish which are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare, so are the children of men snared in the evil time when it falls upon them suddenly.
13 I have also seen this wisdom under the Sun. And it is great to me.
14 There was a little city, with few men in it. And a great king came against it and surrounded it and built siege ramps against it.
15 And there was found in the city a poor and wise man. And he delivered the city by his wisdom. But no one remembered this poor man.
16 Then I said, “Better is wisdom than strength.” Yet the wisdom of the poor is despised. And his words are not heard.
17 The words of the wise are more heard in quietness than the cry of him who rules among fools.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war. And one who sins destroys much good.
13 This is the third time that I come to you. In the mouths of two or three witnesses shall every word stand.
2 I told you before, and tell you now beforehand, as though I had been present a second time. So I write now - being absent from those who until now have sinned, and to all others - that if I come again, I will not spare anyone;
3 since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me, Who is not weak toward you, but is mighty in you.
4 For though He was crucified through His weakness, yet He lives through the power of God. And we, no doubt, are weak in Him. But we shall live with Him, through the power of God, toward you.
5 Test yourselves, whether you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Do you not know yourselves how that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are disqualified?
6 But I trust that you shall know that we are not disqualified.
7 Now I pray to God that you do no evil; not that we should seem approved, but that you should do that which is honest, though we may be disqualified.
8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but for the truth.
9 For we are glad when we are weak, and you are strong. For this also we pray: even your perfecting.
10 Therefore, I write these things while being absent (so that when I am present, I should not use sharpness) according to the power which the Lord has given me to edification, and not to destruction.
11 Finally brothers, farewell. Be perfect. Be of good comfort. Be of one mind. Live in peace. And the God of love and peace shall be with you.
12 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the Saints salute you.
13 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ - and the love of God - and the communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.
(the second Epistle to the Corinthians written from Philippi - a city in Macedonia - and sent by Titus and Lucas)
© 2019, 2024 by Five Talents Audio. All rights reserved.