Ecclesiastes 10-12
Christian Standard Bible
The Burden of Folly
10 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil ferment and stink;(A)
so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.
2 A wise person’s heart goes to the[a] right,
but a fool’s heart to the left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his heart lacks sense,
and he shows everyone he is a fool.(B)
4 If the ruler’s anger rises against you, don’t leave your post,(C)
for calmness puts great offenses to rest.(D)
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, an error proceeding from the presence of the ruler:
6 The fool is appointed to great heights,(E)
but the rich remain in lowly positions.
7 I have seen slaves on horses,(F)
but princes walking on the ground like slaves.(G)
8 The one who digs a pit may fall into it,(H)
and the one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.(I)
9 The one who quarries stones may be hurt by them;
the one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If the ax is dull, and one does not sharpen its edge,
then one must exert more strength;
however, the advantage of wisdom is that it brings success.
11 If the snake bites before it is charmed,(J)
then there is no advantage for the charmer.[b]
12 The words from the mouth of a wise person are gracious,(K)
but the lips of a fool consume him.(L)
13 The beginning of the words from his mouth is folly,
but the end of his speaking is evil madness;
14 yet the fool multiplies words.
No one knows what will happen,
and who can tell anyone what will happen after him?(M)
15 The struggles of fools weary them,
for they don’t know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, land, when your king is a youth(N)
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, land, when your king is a son of nobles
and your princes feast at the proper time—
for strength and not for drunkenness.(O)
18 Because of laziness the roof caves in,
and because of negligent hands the house leaks.
19 A feast is prepared for laughter,
and wine makes life happy,(P)
and money[c] is the answer for everything.(Q)
20 Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,(R)
and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,(S)
for a bird of the sky may carry the message,
and a winged creature may report the matter.
Invest in Life
11 Send your bread on the surface of the water,(T)
for after many days you may find it.
2 Give a portion to seven or even to eight,(U)
for you don’t know what disaster may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full, they will pour out rain on the earth;
whether a tree falls to the south or the north,
the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 One who watches the wind will not sow,
and the one who looks at the clouds will not reap.
5 Just as you don’t know the path of the wind,
or how bones develop in[d] the womb of a pregnant woman,
so also you don’t know the work of God who makes everything.(V)
6 In the morning sow your seed,
and at evening do not let your hand rest,
because you don’t know which will succeed,
whether one or the other,
or if both of them will be equally good.
7 Light is sweet,
and it is pleasing for the eyes to see the sun.(W)
8 Indeed, if someone lives many years,
let him rejoice in them all,
and let him remember the days of darkness,(X) since they will be many.
All that comes is futile.
9 Rejoice, young person, while you are young,
and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth.
And walk in the ways of your heart
and in the desire of your eyes;(Y)
but know that for all of these things God will bring you to judgment.
10 Remove sorrow from your heart,
and put away pain from your flesh,(Z)
because youth and the prime of life are fleeting.
The Twilight of Life
12 So remember your Creator in the days of your youth:
Before the days of adversity come,
and the years approach when you will say,(AA)
“I have no delight in them”;
2 before the sun and the light are darkened,(AB)
and the moon and the stars,
and the clouds return after[e] the rain;
3 on the day when the guardians of the house tremble,
and the strong men stoop,
the women who grind grain cease because they are few,
and the ones who watch through the windows see dimly,(AC)
4 the doors at the street are shut
while the sound of the mill fades;(AD)
when one rises at the sound of a bird,
and all the daughters of song grow faint.
5 Also, they are afraid of heights and dangers on the road;
the almond tree blossoms,
the grasshopper loses its spring,[f]
and the caper berry has no effect;
for the mere mortal is headed to his eternal home,(AE)
and mourners will walk around in the street;(AF)
6 before the silver cord is snapped,[g]
and the gold bowl is broken,(AG)
and the jar is shattered at the spring,
and the wheel is broken into the well;
7 and the dust returns to the earth as it once was,
and the spirit returns to God who gave it.(AH)
8 “Absolute futility,” says the Teacher. “Everything is futile.”(AI)
The Teacher’s Objectives and Conclusion
9 In addition to the Teacher being a wise man, he constantly taught the people knowledge; he weighed, explored, and arranged many proverbs.(AJ) 10 The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and write words of truth accurately. 11 The sayings of the wise are like cattle prods,(AK) and those from masters of collections are like firmly embedded nails.(AL) The sayings are given by one Shepherd.[h]
12 But beyond these, my son, be warned: there is no end to the making of many books,(AM) and much study wearies the body.(AN) 13 When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is this: fear God(AO) and keep his commands, because this is for all[i] humanity.(AP) 14 For God will bring every act to judgment,(AQ) including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.
1 Kings 10
Christian Standard Bible
The Queen of Sheba
10 The queen of Sheba(A) heard about Solomon’s fame(B) connected with the name of the Lord and came to test him with difficult questions.(C) 2 She came to Jerusalem with a very large entourage, with camels bearing(D) spices, gold in great abundance, and precious stones.(E) She came to Solomon and spoke to him about everything that was on her mind. 3 So Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was too difficult for the king to explain to her. 4 When the queen of Sheba observed all of Solomon’s wisdom, the palace he had built,(F) 5 the food at his table,(G) his servants’ residence, his attendants’ service and their attire, his cupbearers, and the burnt offerings he offered at the Lord’s temple, it took her breath away.
6 She said to the king, “The report I heard in my own country about your words and about your wisdom is true. 7 But I didn’t believe the reports until I came and saw with my own eyes. Indeed, I was not even told half. Your wisdom and prosperity far exceed the report I heard.(H) 8 How happy are your men.[a] How happy are these servants of yours, who always stand in your presence hearing your wisdom.(I) 9 Blessed be the Lord your God! He delighted in you and put you on the throne of Israel,(J) because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel.(K) He has made you king to carry out justice and righteousness.”(L)
10 Then she gave the king four and a half tons[b] of gold,(M) a great quantity of spices, and precious stones. Never again did such a quantity of spices arrive as those the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 In addition, Hiram’s fleet that carried gold from Ophir brought from Ophir a large quantity of almug[c] wood and precious stones.(N) 12 The king made the almug wood into steps for the Lord’s temple and the king’s palace and into lyres and harps for the singers. Never before did such almug wood arrive, and the like has not been seen again.
13 King Solomon gave the queen of Sheba her every desire—whatever she asked—besides what he had given her out of his royal bounty. Then she, along with her servants, returned to her own country.(O)
Solomon’s Wealth
14 The weight(P) of gold that came to Solomon annually was twenty-five tons,[d] 15 besides what came from merchants,(Q) traders’ merchandise, and all the Arabian kings and governors of the land.(R)
16 King Solomon made two hundred large shields of hammered gold; fifteen pounds[e] of gold went into each shield. 17 He made three hundred small shields of hammered gold; nearly four pounds[f] of gold went into each shield. The king put them in the House of the Forest of Lebanon.(S)
18 The king also made a large ivory throne and overlaid it with fine gold. 19 The throne had six steps; there was a rounded top at the back of the throne, armrests on either side of the seat, and two lions standing beside the armrests. 20 Twelve lions were standing there on the six steps, one at each end. Nothing like it had ever been made in any other kingdom.
21 All of King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon(T) were pure gold.(U) There was no silver, since it was considered as nothing in Solomon’s time, 22 for the king had ships of Tarshish(V) at sea with Hiram’s fleet, and once every three years the ships of Tarshish would arrive bearing gold, silver, ivory, apes, and peacocks.[g](W)
23 King Solomon surpassed all the kings of the world in riches and in wisdom.(X) 24 The whole world wanted an audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom that God had put in his heart.(Y) 25 Every man would bring his annual tribute: items[h] of silver and gold, clothing, weapons,[i] spices, and horses and mules.(Z)
26 Solomon accumulated 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen(AA) and stationed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.(AB) 27 The king made silver as common in Jerusalem as stones,(AC) and he made cedar(AD) as abundant as sycamore in the Judean foothills. 28 Solomon’s horses were imported from Egypt and Kue.[j] The king’s traders bought them from Kue at the going price.(AE) 29 A chariot was imported from Egypt for fifteen pounds[k] of silver, and a horse for four pounds.[l] In the same way, they exported them to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram through their agents.(AF)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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