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

2 Timothy 4

English Standard Version

Preach the Word

4 ^(A)I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, ^(B)who is to judge the living and the dead, and by ^(C)his appearing and his kingdom: ²preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; ^(D)reprove, rebuke, and ^(E)exhort, with complete patience and teaching. ³^(F)For the time is coming when people will not endure ^(G)sound^[a] teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, ⁴and ^(H)will turn away from listening to the truth and ^(I)wander off into myths. ⁵As for you, ^(J)always be sober-minded, ^(K)endure suffering, do the work of ^(L)an evangelist, ^(M)fulfill your ministry.

⁶For ^(N)I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my ^(O)departure has come. ⁷^(P)I have fought the good fight, ^(Q)I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸Henceforth there is ^(R)laid up for me ^(S)the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, ^(T)the righteous judge, will award to me on ^(U)that day, and not only to me but also to all ^(V)who have loved his appearing.

Personal Instructions

⁹^(W)Do your best to come to me soon. ¹⁰For ^(X)Demas, ^(Y)in love with ^(Z)this present world, ^(AA)has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia,^[b] ^(AB)Titus to Dalmatia. ¹¹^(AC)Luke alone is with me. Get ^(AD)Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry. ¹²^(AE)Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. ¹³When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, also the books, and above all the parchments. ¹⁴^(AF)Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; ^(AG)the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. ¹⁵Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. ¹⁶At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. ^(AH)May it not be charged against them! ¹⁷But ^(AI)the Lord stood by me and ^(AJ)strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and ^(AK)all the Gentiles might hear it. So ^(AL)I was rescued ^(AM)from the lion's mouth. ¹⁸The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. ^(AN)To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹⁹Greet ^(AO)Prisca and Aquila, and ^(AP)the household of Onesiphorus. ²⁰Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left ^(AQ)Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus. ²¹^(AR)Do your best to come before winter. Eubulus sends greetings to you, as do Pudens and Linus and Claudia and all the brothers.^[c]

²²The Lord be ^(AS)with your spirit. ^(AT)Grace be with you.^[d]

Footnotes

2 Timothy 4:3 Or healthy
2 Timothy 4:10 Some manuscripts Gaul
2 Timothy 4:21 Or brothers and sisters. In New Testament usage, depending on the context, the plural Greek word adelphoi (translated “brothers”) may refer either to brothers or to brothers and sisters
2 Timothy 4:22 The Greek for you is plural