Old/New Testament
10 Teacher: Remember the saying,
Dead flies can spoil a good perfume.
In the same way, all the wisdom and honor in the world cannot outweigh a moment’s folly.
2 Wise people move to the right where they honor the goodness of God’s creation,
while fools move to the left and choose to ignore it.
Verse two states that “wise people move to the right . . . while fools move to the left.” The contrast between “right” and “left” reflects the ancient Near Eastern ideas of “clean” and “unclean.” The right hand was considered the clean hand and was a symbol for prosperity, while the left hand was considered the unclean hand and a symbol for disaster. The clean hand was used for eating, for acts of hospitality, and for greeting others. The unclean hand was used for personal hygiene. Thus, in this metaphor the right is equated with God’s goodness, while the left is equated with ignorance of God’s goodness.
3 Teacher: Fools are easily spotted when they walk down the street:
their lack of sense is obvious to everyone.
4 If someone in charge becomes angry at you, don’t leave your post;
a calm reply puts great offenses to rest.
5 I have seen another restless evil in this world, the kind of error that arises from those in power: 6 fools and their folly are promoted to positions of authority, while the rich and talented are assigned menial tasks. 7 I have seen slaves riding on horseback like royalty and princes walking on the ground like slaves.
8 If you dig a pit, you may fall into it.
If you tear down an old wall, a snake may come out and bite you.
9 Whoever quarries stones may be crushed by them,
and whoever splits wood may be hurt by flying debris.
10 If a tool is dull and no one sharpens its edge, the work will be harder;
the advantage of wisdom is this: it brings success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,
there is no advantage in being a snake charmer.
12 The words of the wise bring them favor,
but those of the foolish endanger them.
13 The first words out of a fool’s mouth are folly;
the last words he utters are evil madness.
14 The fool babbles on and on, not knowing when to stop.
Though no one knows what will happen next, he may think he knows.
Who can tell what the future holds?
15 The fools’ work wears them out;
they’re so weary they can’t find their way to the city.
16 Woe to the land whose king is a child
and whose princes start their feast in the morning.
17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble heritage
and whose princes know when to feast,
Who discipline themselves with strength and avoid drunkenness.
18 The roof sags over the head of lazybones;
the house leaks because of idle hands.
19 Feasts are happy occasions;
wine brings joy to life;
money is the answer for everything.
20 Don’t curse the king in your thoughts
or demean the rich even in private.
If you do, a little bird or other winged creature overhead might overhear
and wing your words and report what you said to those in power.
11 Teacher: Don’t be afraid to release your bread upon the waters,
for in due time you will find it.
2 Divide your portion—put seven here, maybe eight there—
for you can never be sure when or where disaster will strike.
3 When the clouds are dark and heavy with rain,
showers will fall upon the earth.
When a tree falls—whether to the south or the north—
it will stay where it lands.
4 Those who watch and wait for favorable winds never plant,
and those who watch and fret over every cloud never harvest.
5 You can no more predict the path of the wind than you can explain how a child’s bones are formed in a mother’s womb. Even more, you will never understand the workings of the God who made all things.
6 Get up early to sow your seed,
and in the evening find worthwhile things to do,
For you never know which will profit you—
maybe this, maybe that, maybe both.
Hard work, not idleness, is at the heart of wisdom. Rewards come when we most need and least expect them.
7 Light is sweet;
one glimpse of the sun delights the eyes.
8 If a person lives many years, then he should learn to enjoy each and every one; but he should not forget the dark days ahead, for there will be plenty of them. All that is to come—whether bright days or dark—is fleeting. 9 Be happy, and celebrate all of the goodness of youth while you are young. Cultivate a cheerful heart every day you have youth. Go where your heart takes you. Take in the sights. Enjoy, but remember that God will hold us accountable for all that we do. 10 When all is said and done, clear your mind of all its worries. Free your body of all its troubles while you can, for youth and the prime of life will soon vanish.
12 Teacher: And so we come to the end of this musing over life. My advice to you is to remember your Creator, God, while you are young: before life gets hard and the injustice of old age comes upon you—before the years arrive when pleasure feels far out of reach— 2 before the sun and light and the moon and stars fade to darkness and before cloud-covered skies return after the rain. 3 Remember Him before the arms and legs of the keeper of the house begin to tremble—before the strong grow uneasy and bent over with age—before toothless gums aren’t able to chew food and eyes grow dim. 4 Remember Him before the doors are shut in the streets and hearing fails and everyday sounds fade away—before the slightest sound of a bird’s chirp awakens the sleeping but the song itself has fallen silent. 5 People will be afraid of falling from heights and terrifying obstacles in the streets. Realize that hair turns white like the blossoms on the almond tree, one becomes slow and large like a gluttonous grasshopper, and even caper berries no longer stimulate desire. In the end, all must go to our eternal home while there are mourners in the streets. 6-7 So before the silver cord is snapped and the golden bowl is shattered: before the earthen jar is smashed at the spring and the wheel at the well is broken—before the dust returns to the earth that gave it and the spirit-breath returns to God who breathed it, let us remember our Creator. 8 Life is fleeting; it just slips through your fingers. All vanishes like mist.
The teacher advises the readers to “remember” their Creator. Remembrance is a pervasive theme in Scripture. Throughout the Bible, God remembers His covenant people, and the covenant people are told to remember the promises and actions of God on their behalf. In the Book of Psalms, “remember” occurs 45 times, sometimes written by the suffering faithful who cry out to God to remember (Psalms 25:6–7; 74:2, 18, 22; 89:47), and sometimes by the worshiper who marvels that God has remembered (Psalms 8:4; 78:39; 111:5; 136:23). Thus remembering in the Old Testament is an action of both God and God’s people.
Memory was as fundamental to the faith of ancient Israel as it is today. Believers gather together to remember who they are and to whom they belong. This communal memory shapes reality, forms identities, and determines right living.
9 Not only did the teacher attain wisdom by careful observation, study, and setting out many proverbs, but he was also generous with his knowledge and eagerly shared it with people. 10 The teacher also searched for just the right words to bring hope and encouragement, and he wrote honestly about truth and the realities of life.
11 The words of the wise are like goads; the collected sayings of the masters are like the nail-tipped sticks used to drive the sheep, given by one Shepherd.
Wise words ring true in our ears, whether we want to hear them or not. They prod us, convict us, and move us; and heeding them strengthens us.
12 So be warned, my child, of anything else that might be said! There is no end to writing books, and excessive study only exhausts the body. 13 And, when all is said and done, here is the last word: worship in reverence the one True God, and keep His commands, for this is what God expects of every person. 14 For God will judge every action—including everything done in secret—whether it be good or evil.
1 Paul, an emissary[a] commissioned directly by Jesus the Anointed One and God the Father (who raised Him from the dead)—not (as some claim) an agent of men or any person— 2 and all the brothers and sisters with me to you, the churches of Galatia.
3 May the grace and peace of God the Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed live in you; 4 He is the very Savior who rescues us from this present, perverse age dominated by evil by giving His life according to our Father’s will to deal with our sins. 5 May God’s glorious name forever receive honor. Amen.
From the opening address, it is clear that Paul is angry with what is going on among the churches of Galatia. He feels compelled to defend himself from opponents who are attacking his call as Jesus’ emissary. Paul counters the attack by distancing himself from any human institution: he was not called by any church or committee. God the Father and the Lord Jesus commissioned Paul directly to be the emissary to the nations.
6 Frankly I am stunned. I cannot believe that you have abandoned God so quickly—even after He called you through the grace of the Anointed One—and have fallen for a different gospel. 7 Actually there is only one true gospel of the Anointed, and you—because of divisive prodding by others—are accepting a distorted version which is not the gospel at all!
People are being deceived with an imitation of the true gospel, and they have bought into it. The words are nothing but twisted lies.
8 No matter the source of the false gospel, even if it is preached by us or a heavenly messenger, ignore it. May those who add to or subtract from the gospel of Jesus be eternally cursed! 9 Listen again: if anyone preaches to you a gospel other than what you have accepted, may he find himself cursed!
10 Do you think I care about the approval of men or about the approval of God? Do you think I am on a mission to please people? If I am still spinning my wheels trying to please men, then there is no way I can be a servant of the Anointed One, the Liberating King.
11 Know this, dear brothers and sisters: the good news I brought to you isn’t the latest in fiction or the product of some creative mind. 12 It is not a legend I learned or one that has been passed down from person to person, ear to ear. I was gifted with this message as Jesus the Anointed revealed Himself miraculously to me. 13 Surely you are familiar with my personal history, with my dedication to the teachings and traditions of Judaism. I persecuted the church of God—in fact, I meant to destroy it. 14 I excelled in the teachings of Judaism far above other Jewish leaders, and I was zealous to practice the ways of our ancestors. 15 But God—who set me apart even before birth and called me by His grace—chose, to His great delight, 16 to reveal His Son in me so I could tell His story among the outsider nations. I didn’t confer with anyone right away, 17 nor did I go to those who were already emissaries[b] in Jerusalem. I went straight to Arabia and later returned to Damascus.
18 After living this adventurous mission for three years, I made my way to Jerusalem and spent 15 days with Cephas, whom you know as Peter. 19 But I didn’t see any emissary[c] other than James, our Lord’s brother. 20 (You can be certain that what I am offering you is an authentic account. Before God, it’s the whole truth—I wouldn’t lie.) 21 Later I journeyed to Syria and Cilicia; 22 and since I had spent so little time in Judea among the churches of the Anointed One, no one there could pick me out of a crowd. 23 But stories of my call and mission preceded me: “The very man who wanted to kill us all is now preaching the faith he once labored to destroy.” 24 And so they praised God for the miracle He did in my life.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.