Ecclesiastes 10-12
A Little Foolishness
Dead flies make a aperfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is weightier than wisdom and honor. 2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish aman’s heart directs him toward the left. 3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he ademonstrates to everyone that he is a fool. 4 If the ruler’s temper rises against you, ado not abandon your position, because bcomposure allays great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth from the ruler— 6 afolly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places. 7 I have seen aslaves riding bon horses and princes walking like slaves on the land.
8 aHe who digs a pit may fall into it, and a bserpent may bite him who breaks through a wall. 9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered by them. 10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success. 11 If the serpent bites abefore being charmed, there is no profit for the charmer. 12 aWords from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a bfool consume him; 13 the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked amadness. 14 Yet the afool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can tell him bwhat will come after him? 15 The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to a city. 16 Woe to you, O land, whose aking is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. 17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for adrunkenness. 18 Through aindolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks. 19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and awine makes life merry, and bmoney is the answer to everything. 20 Furthermore, ain your bedchamber do not bcurse a king, and in your sleeping rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
aCast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you awill find it after many days. 2 aDivide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what bmisfortune may occur on the earth. 3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there it lies. 4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will not reap. 5 Just as you do not aknow the path of the wind and bhow bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not cknow the activity of God who makes all things.
6 Sow your seed ain the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both of them alike will be good.
7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to asee the sun. 8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him arejoice in them all, and let him remember the bdays of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.
9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and the adesires of your eyes. Yet know that bGod will bring you to judgment for all these things. 10 So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away apain from your body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Remember God in Your Youth
aRemember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the bevil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”; 2 before the asun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; 3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men astoop, the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and bthose who look through windows grow dim; 4 and the doors on the street are shut as the asound of the grinding mill is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the bdaughters of song will sing softly. 5 Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal ahome while bmourners go about in the street. 6 Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the agolden bowl is crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern is crushed; 7 then the adust will return to the earth as it was, and the bspirit will return to cGod who gave it. 8 “aVanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Purpose of the Preacher
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out and arranged amany proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find adelightful words and to write bwords of truth correctly.
11 The awords of wise men are like bgoads, and masters of these collections are like well-driven cnails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of amany books is endless, and excessive bdevotion to books is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: afear God and bkeep His commandments, because this applies to cevery person. 14 For aGod will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.
2 Timothy 4
“Preach the Word”
aI solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to bjudge the living and the dead, and by His cappearing and His kingdom: 2 preach athe word; be ready in season and out of season; breprove, rebuke, exhort, with great cpatience and instruction. 3 For athe time will come when they will not endure bsound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and awill turn away their ears from the truth and bwill turn aside to myths. 5 But you, abe sober in all things, bendure hardship, do the work of an cevangelist, fulfill your dministry.
6 For I am already being apoured out as a drink offering, and the time of bmy departure has come. 7 aI have fought the good fight, I have finished bthe course, I have kept cthe faith; 8 in the future there ais laid up for me bthe crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on cthat day; and not only to me, but also to dall who have loved His eappearing.
Personal Concerns
9 aMake every effort to come to me soon; 10 for aDemas, having loved bthis present world, has deserted me and gone to cThessalonica; Crescens has gone to dGalatia, eTitus to Dalmatia. 11 aOnly bLuke is with me. Pick up cMark and bring him with you, dfor he is useful to me for service. 12 But aTychicus I have sent to bEphesus. 13 When you come bring the cloak which I left at aTroas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments. 14 aAlexander the coppersmith did me much harm; bthe Lord will repay him according to his deeds. 15 Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.
16 At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; amay it not be counted against them. 17 But the Lord stood with me and astrengthened me, so that through me bthe proclamation might be cfully accomplished, and that all dthe Gentiles might hear; and I was erescued out of fthe lion’s mouth. 18 The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will abring me safely to His bheavenly kingdom; cto Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
19 Greet Prisca and aAquila, and bthe household of Onesiphorus. 20 aErastus remained at bCorinth, but cTrophimus I left sick at dMiletus. 21 aMake every effort to come before bwinter. Eubulus greets you, also Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brethren.
22 aThe Lord be with your spirit. bGrace be with you.
New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
For Permission to Quote information visit
lockman.org by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif.
All rights reserved.