Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:22 1 The words of the Teacher,
the son
of David, king
in Jerusalem:
2 “Futile! Futile!” laments
the Teacher,
“Absolutely futile!
Everything
is futile!”
3 What benefit
do people
get from all the effort which
they expend
on earth?
4 A generation comes
and a generation goes,
but the earth remains
the same
through the ages.
5 The sun rises
and the sun sets;
it hurries away
to a place from which it rises
again.
6 The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north; round and round
the wind goes and on its rounds it returns.
7 All the streams flow
into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.
8 All this
monotony
is tiresome; no one can bear
to describe it:
The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content
with hearing.
9 What exists now
is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.
10 Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”?
It was already
done long ago,
before our time.
11 No one remembers the former events,
nor will anyone remember
the events that are yet to happen;
they will not be remembered by the future generations.
12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13 I decided
to carefully
and thoroughly examine
all that has been accomplished on earth.
I concluded:
God has given people
a burdensome task
that keeps them
occupied.
14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man
on earth,
and I concluded: Everything
he has accomplished
is futile
– like chasing the wind!
15 What is bent
cannot be straightened,
and what is missing
cannot be supplied.
16 I thought to myself,
“I have become much wiser
than any of my predecessors who ruled
over Jerusalem;
I
have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”
17 So I decided
to discern the benefit of
wisdom and knowledge over
foolish behavior and ideas;
however, I concluded
that even
this endeavor
is like
trying to chase the wind!
18 For with great wisdom comes
great frustration; whoever increases his
knowledge merely
increases his
heartache.
1 I thought to myself,
“Come now,
I will try
self-indulgent pleasure
to see
if it is worthwhile.”
But I found
that it also is futile.
2 I said of partying,
“It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure,
“It accomplishes nothing!”
3 I thought deeply
about the effects of
indulging
myself
with wine (all the while
my mind was guiding me
with wisdom)
and the effects of
behaving foolishly,
so that
I might discover what is profitable
for people
to do on earth
during the few days
of their lives.
4 I increased my possessions:
I built houses for myself;
I planted vineyards for myself.
5 I designed
royal gardens
and parks
for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I constructed pools of water for myself, to irrigate my grove
of flourishing trees.
7 I purchased male and female slaves, and I owned slaves who were born in my house;
I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks – than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.
8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures
taken from kingdoms and provinces.
I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight
– a harem of beautiful concubines!
9 So
I was far wealthier
than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity:
10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;
I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.
So all my accomplishments gave me joy;
this was my reward for all my effort.
11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished
and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,
I concluded:
“All these
achievements and possessions
are ultimately
profitless
– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained
from them
on earth.”
12 Next, I decided to consider
wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas.
For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king
has already done?
13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,
just as light is preferable to darkness:
14 The wise man can see where he is going,
but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate
happens to them both.
15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me!
Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively
wise?”
So I lamented to myself,
“The benefits of wisdom
are ultimately
meaningless!”
16 For the wise man, like
the fool, will not be remembered for very long,
because
in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten.
Alas,
the wise man dies – just like
the fool!
17 So I loathed
life
because what happens
on earth
seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom
are futile – like chasing the wind.
18 So I loathed all the fruit of
my effort,
for which I worked so hard
on earth,
because
I must leave it
behind
in the hands of my successor.
19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet
he will be master over all the fruit of
my labor
for which I worked so wisely
on earth!
This also is futile!
20 So I began to despair
about all the fruit of
my labor
for which I worked so hard
on earth.
21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over
the fruit of his labor
as an inheritance
to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!
22 What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
23 For all day long
his work produces pain and frustration,
and even at night his mind cannot relax!
This also is futile!
24 There is nothing better for
people
than
to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment
in their
work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment
comes from God.
25 For no one
can eat and drink
or experience joy
apart from him.
26 For to the one who pleases him,
God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing
wealth
– only to give
it
to the one who pleases God. This
task of the wicked
is futile – like chasing the wind!
1 For everything
there is an appointed time,
and an appropriate time
for every activity
on earth:
2 A time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7 A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
9 What benefit can a worker
gain from his toil?
10 I have observed the burden that God has given to people
to keep them occupied.
11 God has made everything fit beautifully
in its appropriate time, but
he has also placed ignorance
in the human heart
so that
people
cannot discover what God has ordained,
from the beginning to the end
of their lives.
12 I have concluded
that there is nothing better for people
than
to be happy and to enjoy themselves
as long as they live,
13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things
are a gift from God.
14 I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.
15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again
what has occurred
in the past.
16 I saw something else on earth:
In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness,
there was wickedness.
17 I thought to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment
for every deed.
18 I also thought to myself, “It is
for the sake of people,
so God can clearly
show
them that they are like animals.
19 For the fate of humans
and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.
20 Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.
21 Who really knows if the human spirit
ascends upward, and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?
22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people
to enjoy their work,
because that is their
reward; for who can show them what the future holds?
Context (NET) 2 Corinthians 6:1-13 1 Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For he says, “
I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
Look, now is
the acceptable time; look, now is
the day of salvation!
3 We do not give anyone
an occasion for taking an offense in anything,
so that no fault may be found with our ministry.
4 But as God’s servants,
we have commended ourselves in every way,
with great endurance, in persecutions,
in difficulties, in distresses,
5 in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots,
in troubles,
in sleepless nights, in hunger,
6 by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit,
by genuine
love,
7 by truthful
teaching,
by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for the left,
8 through glory and dishonor, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors,
and yet true;
9 as unknown, and yet well-known; as dying and yet – see! – we continue to live; as those who are scourged
and yet not executed;
10 as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you,
Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide to you.
12 Our affection for you is not restricted,
but you are restricted in your affections for us.
13 Now as a fair exchange – I speak as to my
children – open wide your hearts to us
also.
Context (NET) Psalm 46:1-11 1 For the music director; by the Korahites; according to the
alamoth style;
a song. God is our strong refuge;
he is truly our helper in times of trouble.
2 For this reason we do not fear
when the earth shakes,
and the mountains tumble into the depths of the sea,
3 when its waves
crash
and foam, and the mountains shake
before the surging sea.
(Selah)
4 The river’s channels bring joy to the city of God,
the special, holy dwelling place of
the sovereign One.
5 God lives within it,
it cannot be moved.
God rescues it
at the break of dawn.
6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown.
God
gives a shout,
the earth dissolves.
7 The
Lord who commands armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob
is our protector!
(Selah)
8 Come! Witness the exploits
of the
Lord, who brings devastation to the earth!
9 He brings an end to wars throughout the earth;
he shatters
the bow and breaks
the spear; he burns
the shields with fire.
10 He says,
“Stop your striving and recognize
that I am God! I will be exalted
over
the nations! I will be exalted over
the earth!”
11 The
Lord who commands armies is on our side!
The God of Jacob
is our protector!
(Selah)
Context (NET) Proverbs 22:15 15 Folly is bound up
in the heart of a child,
but the rod of discipline
will drive it far from him.
Context (NET)
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