Old/New Testament
10 One dead fly[a] makes the perfumer’s ointment give off a rancid stench,[b]
so a little folly can outweigh[c] much wisdom.[d]
Wisdom Can Be Nullified By the Caprice of Rulers
2 A wise person’s good sense protects him,[e]
but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.[f]
3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense,[g]
and shows[h] everyone what a fool he is.[i]
4 If the anger[j] of the ruler flares up[k] against you, do not resign from[l] your position,[m]
for a calm[n] response[o] can undo[p] great offenses.
5 I have seen another[q] misfortune[r] on the earth:[s]
It is an error a ruler makes.[t]
6 Fools[u] are placed in many positions of authority,[v]
while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.
7 I have seen slaves[w] on horseback
and princes walking on foot[x] like slaves.
Wisdom is Needed to Avert Dangers in Everyday Life
8 One who digs a pit may[y] fall into it,
and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.[z]
9 One who quarries stones may be injured by them;
one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10 If an iron axhead[aa] is blunt and a workman[ab] does not sharpen[ac] its edge,[ad]
he must exert a great deal of effort;[ae]
so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed,[af]
the snake charmer[ag] is in trouble.[ah]
Words and Works of Wise Men and Fools
12 The words of a wise person[ai] win him[aj] favor,[ak]
but the words[al] of a fool are self-destructive.[am]
13 At the beginning his words[an] are foolish
and at the end[ao] his talk[ap] is wicked madness,[aq]
14 yet a fool keeps on babbling.[ar]
No one knows what will happen;
who can tell him what will happen in the future?[as]
15 The toil of a stupid fool[at] wears him out,[au]
because he does not even know the way to the city.[av]
The Problem with Foolish Rulers
16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish,[aw]
and your princes feast in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility,[ax]
and your princes feast at the proper time[ay]—with self-control and not in drunkenness.[az]
18 Because of laziness the roof[ba] caves in,
and because of idle hands[bb] the house leaks.
19 Feasts[bc] are made[bd] for laughter,
and wine makes life merry,[be]
but money is the answer for[bf] everything.
20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich[bg] while in your bedroom;[bh]
for a bird[bi] might report what you are thinking,[bj]
or some winged creature[bk] might repeat your[bl] words.[bm]
Ignorance of the Future Demands Diligence in the Present
11 Send[bn] your grain[bo] overseas,[bp]
for after many days you will get a return.[bq]
2 Divide your merchandise[br] among seven or even eight[bs] investments,[bt]
for you do not know[bu] what calamity[bv] may happen on earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth,
and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls.
4 He who watches the wind will not sow,
and he who observes the clouds will not reap.[bw]
5 Just as you do not know the path[bx] of the wind,
or how the bones form[by] in the womb of a pregnant woman,[bz]
so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not stop working[ca] until the evening;[cb]
for you do not know which activity[cc] will succeed[cd]—
whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.[ce]
Life Should Be Enjoyed Because Death is Inevitable
7 Light[cf] is sweet,[cg]
and it is pleasant for a person[ch] to see the sun.[ci]
8 So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all,
but let him remember that the days of darkness[cj] will be many—all that is about to come is obscure.[ck]
Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God
9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young,[cl]
and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.
Follow the impulses[cm] of your heart and the desires[cn] of your eyes,
but know that God will judge your motives and actions.[co]
10 Banish[cp] emotional stress[cq] from your mind.[cr]
and put away pain[cs] from your body;[ct]
for youth[cu] and the prime of life[cv] are fleeting.[cw]
Fear God Now Because Old Age and Death Come Quickly
12 So remember[cx] your Creator in the days of your youth—
before[cy] the difficult[cz] days come,
and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;
2 before the sun and the light[da] of the moon and the stars grow dark,
and the clouds disappear[db] after the rain;
3 when those who keep watch over the house[dc] begin to tremble,[dd]
and the virile men begin to stoop over,[de]
and the grinders[df] begin to cease because they grow few,
and those who look through the windows grow dim,[dg]
4 and the doors along the street are shut;
when the sound of the grinding mill[dh] grows low,
and one is awakened[di] by the sound of a bird,
and all their[dj] songs[dk] grow faint,[dl]
5 and they are afraid of heights and the dangers[dm] in the street;
the almond blossoms[dn] grow white,[do]
and the grasshopper[dp] drags itself along,[dq]
and the caper berry[dr] shrivels up[ds]—
because man goes to his eternal home,[dt]
and the mourners go about in the streets—
6 before the silver cord is removed,
or the golden bowl is broken,
or the pitcher is shattered at the well,[du]
or the water wheel[dv] is broken at the cistern—
7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was,
and the life’s breath[dw] returns to God who gave it.
Concluding Refrain: The Teacher Restates His Thesis
Concluding Epilogue: The Teacher’s Advice is Wise
9 Not only was the Teacher wise,[eb]
but he also taught knowledge to the people;
he carefully evaluated[ec] and arranged[ed] many proverbs.
10 The Teacher sought to find delightful[ee] words,
and to write[ef] accurately truthful sayings.[eg]
11 The words of the sages are like prods,[eh]
and the collected sayings are like firmly fixed nails;
they are given by one shepherd.
Concluding Exhortation: Fear God and Obey His Commands
12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.[ei]
There is no end to the making[ej] of many books,
and much study is exhausting to the body.[ek]
13 Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion:[el]
Fear God and keep his commandments,
because this is the whole duty[em] of man.
14 For God will evaluate every deed,[en]
including every secret thing, whether good or evil.
Salutation
1 From Paul,[a] an apostle (not from men, nor by human agency, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead) 2 and all the brothers with me, to the churches of Galatia. 3 Grace and peace to you[b] from God the Father and our[c] Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be glory forever and ever! Amen.
Occasion of the Letter
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one[d] who called you by the grace of Christ[e] and are following[f] a different[g] gospel— 7 not that there really is another gospel,[h] but[i] there are some who are disturbing you and wanting[j] to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we (or an angel from heaven) should preach[k] a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you,[l] let him be condemned to hell![m] 9 As we have said before, and now I say again, if any one is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let him be condemned to hell![n] 10 Am I now trying to gain the approval of people,[o] or of God? Or am I trying to please people?[p] If I were still trying to please[q] people,[r] I would not be a slave[s] of Christ!
Paul’s Vindication of His Apostleship
11 Now[t] I want you to know, brothers and sisters,[u] that the gospel I preached is not of human origin.[v] 12 For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source;[w] instead I received it[x] by a revelation of Jesus Christ.[y]
13 For you have heard of my former way of life[z] in Judaism, how I was savagely persecuting the church of God and trying to destroy it. 14 I[aa] was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my nation,[ab] and was[ac] extremely zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.[ad] 15 But when the one[ae] who set me apart from birth[af] and called me by his grace was pleased 16 to reveal his Son in[ag] me so that I could preach him[ah] among the Gentiles, I did not go to ask advice from[ai] any human being,[aj] 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before me, but right away I departed to Arabia,[ak] and then returned to Damascus.
18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas[al] and get information from him,[am] and I stayed with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles[an] except James the Lord’s brother. 20 I assure you[ao] that, before God, I am not lying about what I am writing to you![ap] 21 Afterward I went to the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 But I was personally[aq] unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They were only hearing, “The one who once persecuted us is now proclaiming the good news[ar] of the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 So[as] they glorified God because of me.[at]
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