Ecclesiastes 10-12

English Standard Version

10 Dead flies make ^(A)the perfumer's ointment give off a stench;
    so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
²^(B)A wise man's heart inclines him to the right,
    but a fool's heart to the left.
³Even when the fool walks on the road, he lacks sense,
    and he ^(C)says to everyone that he is a fool.
⁴If the anger of the ruler rises against you, ^(D)do not leave your place,
    ^(E)for calmness^[a] will lay great offenses to rest.

⁵There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were ^(F)an error proceeding from the ruler: ⁶^(G)folly is set in many high places, and the rich sit in a low place. ⁷^(H)I have seen slaves ^(I)on horses, and princes walking on the ground like slaves.

⁸He who ^(J)digs a pit will fall into it,
    and ^(K)a serpent will bite him who breaks through a wall.
⁹^(L)He who quarries stones is hurt by them,
    and he who ^(M)splits logs is endangered by them.
¹⁰If the iron is blunt, and one does not sharpen the edge,
    he must use more strength,
    but wisdom helps one to succeed.^[b]
¹¹If the serpent bites before it is ^(N)charmed,
    there is no advantage to the charmer.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth ^(O)win him favor,^[c]
    but ^(P)the lips of a fool consume him.
¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness,
    and the end of his talk is evil madness.
¹⁴^(Q)A fool multiplies words,
    though no man knows what is to be,
    and who can tell him ^(R)what will be after him?
¹⁵The toil of a fool wearies him,
    for he does not know ^(S)the way to the city.

¹⁶^(T)Woe to you, O land, when your king is a child,
    and your princes feast in the morning!
¹⁷Happy are you, O land, when your king is the son of the nobility,
    and your princes feast at the proper time,
    for strength, and not for ^(U)drunkenness!
¹⁸Through sloth the roof sinks in,
    and through indolence the house leaks.
¹⁹Bread is made for laughter,
    and ^(V)wine gladdens life,
    and ^(W)money answers everything.
²⁰Even in your thoughts, ^(X)do not curse the king,
    nor in your ^(Y)bedroom curse the rich,
for a bird of the air will carry your voice,
    or some winged creature tell the matter.

Cast Your Bread upon the Waters

11 ^(Z)Cast your bread upon the waters,
    ^(AA)for you will find it after many days.
²^(AB)Give a portion to ^(AC)seven, or even to eight,
    ^(AD)for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.
³If the clouds are full of rain,
    they empty themselves on the earth,
and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,
    in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
⁴He who observes the wind will not sow,
    and he who regards the clouds will not reap.

⁵As you do not know the way ^(AE)the spirit comes to ^(AF)the bones in the womb^[d] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

⁶In the morning sow your seed, and at evening ^(AG)withhold not your hand, for you do not know which will prosper, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.

⁷Light is sweet, and it is pleasant for the eyes to ^(AH)see the sun.

⁸So if a person lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember ^(AI)that the days of darkness will be many. All that comes is ^(AJ)vanity.^[e]

⁹^(AK)Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. ^(AL)Walk in the ways of your heart and ^(AM)the sight of your eyes. But know that for all these things ^(AN)God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰Remove vexation from your heart, and ^(AO)put away pain^[f] from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

Remember Your Creator in Your Youth

12 Remember also your Creator in ^(AP)the days of your youth, before ^(AQ)the evil days come and the years draw near of which ^(AR)you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”; ²before ^(AS)the sun and the light and the moon and the stars are darkened and the clouds return after the rain, ³in the day when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men are bent, and the grinders cease because they are few, and ^(AT)those who look through the windows are dimmed, ⁴and ^(AU)the doors on the street are shut—when ^(AV)the sound of the grinding is low, and one rises up at the sound of a bird, and all ^(AW)the daughters of song are brought low— ⁵they are afraid also of what is high, and ^(AX)terrors are in the way; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags itself along,^[g] and desire fails, because man is going to his ^(AY)eternal ^(AZ)home, and the ^(BA)mourners go about the streets— ⁶before the silver cord is snapped, or ^(BB)the golden bowl is broken, or the pitcher is ^(BC)shattered at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern, ⁷and ^(BD)the dust returns to the earth as it was, and ^(BE)the spirit returns to God ^(BF)who gave it. ⁸^(BG)Vanity^[h] of vanities, says ^(BH)the Preacher; all is vanity.

Fear God and Keep His Commandments

⁹Besides being wise, ^(BI)the Preacher also taught the people knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging ^(BJ)many proverbs with great care. ¹⁰^(BK)The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.

¹¹^(BL)The words of the wise are like goads, and like ^(BM)nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are ^(BN)given by ^(BO)one Shepherd. ¹²My son, beware of anything beyond these. Of making ^(BP)many books there is no end, and ^(BQ)much study is a weariness of the flesh.

¹³The end of the matter; all has been heard. ^(BR)Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.^[i] ¹⁴For ^(BS)God will bring every deed into judgment, with^[j] every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Footnotes

Ecclesiastes 10:4 Hebrew healing
Ecclesiastes 10:10 Or wisdom is an advantage for success
Ecclesiastes 10:12 Or are gracious
Ecclesiastes 11:5 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Targum; most Hebrew manuscripts As you do not know the way of the wind, or how the bones grow in the womb
Ecclesiastes 11:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verse 10 (see note on 1:2)
Ecclesiastes 11:10 Or evil
Ecclesiastes 12:5 Or is a burden
Ecclesiastes 12:8 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (three times in this verse); see note on 1:2
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Or the duty of all mankind
Ecclesiastes 12:14 Or into the judgment on

1 Corinthians 10

English Standard Version

Warning Against Idolatry

10 For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,^[a] that our fathers were all under ^(A)the cloud, and all ^(B)passed through the sea, ²and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, ³and ^(C)all ate the same ^(D)spiritual food, ⁴and ^(E)all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, and the Rock was Christ. ⁵Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for ^(F)they were overthrown^[b] in the wilderness.

⁶Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as ^(G)they did. ⁷^(H)Do not be idolaters ^(I)as some of them were; as it is written, ^(J)“The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” ⁸^(K)We must not indulge in sexual immorality ^(L)as some of them did, and ^(M)twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. ⁹We must not put Christ^[c] to the test, ^(N)as some of them did and ^(O)were destroyed by serpents, ¹⁰nor grumble, ^(P)as some of them did and ^(Q)were destroyed by ^(R)the Destroyer. ¹¹Now these things happened to them as an example, but ^(S)they were written down for our instruction, ^(T)on whom the end of the ages has come. ¹²Therefore ^(U)let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. ¹³No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. ^(V)God is faithful, and ^(W)he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

¹⁴Therefore, my beloved, ^(X)flee from idolatry. ¹⁵I speak ^(Y)as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. ¹⁶^(Z)The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? ^(AA)The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷Because there is one bread, we who are many are ^(AB)one body, for we all partake of the one bread. ¹⁸Consider ^(AC)the people of Israel:^[d] ^(AD)are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? ¹⁹What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that ^(AE)an idol is anything? ²⁰No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice ^(AF)they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. ²¹^(AG)You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and ^(AH)the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and ^(AI)the table of demons. ²²^(AJ)Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? ^(AK)Are we stronger than he?

Do All to the Glory of God

²³^(AL)“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. ²⁴^(AM)Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. ²⁵^(AN)Eat whatever is sold in the meat market without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁶For ^(AO)“the earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof.” ²⁷If one of the unbelievers invites you to dinner and you are disposed to go, ^(AP)eat whatever is set before you without raising any question on the ground of conscience. ²⁸But if someone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, for the sake of the one who informed you, and for the sake of conscience— ²⁹I do not mean ^(AQ)your conscience, but his. For ^(AR)why should my liberty be determined by someone else's conscience? ³⁰If I partake with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that ^(AS)for which I give thanks?

³¹So, whether you eat or drink, or ^(AT)whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. ³²^(AU)Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to ^(AV)the church of God, ³³just as ^(AW)I try to please everyone in everything I do, ^(AX)not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.