Today's Reading

¹For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn't know it; all is before them.

²All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and to the wicked; to the good, to the clean, to the unclean, to him who sacrifices, and to him who doesn't sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; he who takes an oath, as he who fears an oath.

³This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

⁴For to him who is joined with all the living there is hope; for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

⁵For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.

⁶Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.

⁷Go your way-eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

⁸Let your garments be always white, and do not let your head lack oil.

⁹Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity: for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

¹⁰Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in Sheol, where you are going.

¹¹I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

¹²For man also doesn't know his time. As the fish that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, even so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falls suddenly on them.

¹³I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

¹⁴There was a little city, and few men within it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great siege works against it.

¹⁵Now a poor wise man was found in it, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man.

¹⁶Then said I, Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

¹⁷The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the cry of him who rules among fools.

¹⁸Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

¹Dead flies cause the oil of the perfumer to send forth an evil odor; so does a little folly outweigh wisdom and honor.

²A wise man's heart is at his right hand, but a fool's heart at his left.

³Yes also, when the fool walks by the way, his understanding fails him, and he says to everyone that he is a fool.

⁴If the spirit of the ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place; for gentleness lays great offenses to rest.

⁵There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

⁶Folly is set in great dignity, and the rich sit in a low place.

⁷I have seen servants on horses, and princes walking like servants on the earth.

⁸He who digs a pit may fall into it; and whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

⁹Whoever carves out stones may be injured by them. Whoever splits wood may be endangered thereby.

¹⁰If the axe is blunt, and one doesn't sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but skill brings success.

¹¹If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer's tongue.

¹²The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but a fool is swallowed by his own lips.

¹³The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

¹⁴A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn't know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

¹⁵The labor of fools wearies every one of them; for he doesn't know how to go to the city.

¹⁶Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!

¹⁷Happy are you, land, when your king is the son of nobles, and your princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

¹⁸By slothfulness the roof sinks in; and through idleness of the hands the house leaks.

¹⁹A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

²⁰Do not curse the king, no, not in your thoughts; and do not curse the rich in your bedchamber: for a bird of the sky may carry your voice, and that which has wings may tell the matter.

¹Cast your bread on the waters; for you shall find it after many days.

²Give a portion to seven, yes, even to eight; for you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

³If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth; and if a tree falls toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falls, there shall it be.

⁴He who observes the wind won't sow; and he who regards the clouds won't reap.

⁵As you do not know what is the way of the wind, nor how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child; even so you do not know the work of God who does all.

⁶In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper, whether this or that, or whether they both will be equally good.

⁷Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to see the sun.

⁸Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

⁹Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

¹⁰Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh; for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.

¹Paul, an apostle (not from men, neither through man, but through Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead),

²and all the brothers who are with me, to the churches of Galatia:

³Grace to you and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ,

⁴who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us out of this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father-

⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

⁶I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different "good news";

⁷and there is not another "good news." Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.

⁸But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should proclaim to you any "good news" other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.

⁹As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any "good news" other than that which you received, let him be cursed.

¹⁰For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I would not be a servant of Christ.

¹¹But I make known to you, brothers, concerning the Good News which was preached by me, that it is not according to man.

¹²For neither did I receive it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came to me through revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹³For you have heard of my way of living in time past in Judaism, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and ravaged it.

¹⁴I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my countrymen, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

¹⁵But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace,

¹⁶to reveal his Son in me, that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,

¹⁷nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia. Then I returned to Damascus.

¹⁸Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to visit Cephas, and stayed with him fifteen days.

¹⁹But of the other apostles I saw no one, except Jacob, the Lord's brother.

²⁰Now about the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I'm not lying.

²¹Then I came to the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

²²I was still unknown by face to the churches of Judea which were in Christ,

²³but they only heard: "He who once persecuted us now preaches the faith that he once tried to destroy."

²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

¹Doesn't wisdom cry out? Doesn't understanding raise her voice?

²On the top of high places by the way, where the paths meet, she stands.

³Beside the gates, at the entry of the city, at the entry doors, she cries aloud:

⁴"To you men, I call! I send my voice to the sons of mankind.

⁵You simple, understand prudence. You fools, be of an understanding heart.

⁶Hear, for I will speak excellent things. The opening of my lips is for right things.

⁷For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.

⁸All the words of my mouth are in righteousness. There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.

⁹They are all plain to him who understands, right to those who find knowledge.

¹⁰Receive my instruction rather than silver; knowledge rather than choice gold.

¹¹For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can't be compared to it.

¹²"I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling. Find out knowledge and discretion.

¹³The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.

¹⁴Counsel and sound knowledge are mine. I have understanding and power.

¹⁵By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

¹⁶By me princes rule; nobles, and all the righteous rulers of the earth.

¹⁷I love those who love me. Those who seek me diligently will find me.

¹⁸With me are riches, honor, enduring wealth, and prosperity.

¹⁹My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold; my yield than choice silver.

²⁰I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice;

²¹That I may give wealth to those who love me. I fill their treasuries.

²²"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his work, before his deeds of old.

²³I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, before the earth existed.

²⁴When there were no depths, I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.

²⁵Before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was brought forth;

²⁶while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the beginning of the dust of the world.

²⁷When he established the heavens, I was there; when he set a circle on the surface of the deep,

²⁸when he established the clouds above, when the springs of the deep became strong,

²⁹when he gave to the sea its boundary, that the waters should not violate his commandment, when he marked out the foundations of the earth;

³⁰then I was the craftsman by his side. I was a delight day by day, always rejoicing before him,

³¹Rejoicing in his whole world. My delight was with the sons of men.

³²"Now therefore, my sons, listen to me, for blessed are those who keep my ways.

³³Hear instruction, and be wise. Do not refuse it.

³⁴Blessed is the man who hears me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at my door posts.

³⁵For whoever finds me, finds life, and will obtain favor from the Lord.

³⁶But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul. All those who hate me love death."