Chapter 10

1 As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,

so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.

2 The heart of the wise inclines to the right,

but the heart of the fool to the left.

3 Even as fools walk along the road,

they lack sense

and show everyone how stupid they are.

4 If a ruler’s anger rises against you,

do not leave your post;

calmness can lay great offenses to rest.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

the sort of error that arises from a ruler:

6 Fools are put in many high positions,

while the rich occupy the low ones.

7 I have seen slaves on horseback,

while princes go on foot like slaves.

8 Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;

whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.

9 Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;

whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.

10 If the ax is dull

and its edge unsharpened,

more strength is needed,

but skill will bring success.

11 If a snake bites before it is charmed,

the charmer receives no fee.

12 Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,

but fools are consumed by their own lips.

13 At the beginning their words are folly;

at the end they are wicked madness—

14 and fools multiply words.

No one knows what is coming—

who can tell someone else what will happen after them?

15 The toil of fools wearies them;

they do not know the way to town.

16 Woe to the land whose king was a servant

and whose princes feast in the morning.

17 Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth

and whose princes eat at a proper time—

for strength and not for drunkenness.

18 Through laziness, the rafters sag;

because of idle hands, the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter,

wine makes life merry,

and money is the answer for everything.

20 Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,

or curse the rich in your bedroom,

because a bird in the sky may carry your words,

and a bird on the wing may report what you say.

Chapter 11

Invest in Many Ventures

1 Ship your grain across the sea;

after many days you may receive a return.

2 Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight;

you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.

3 If clouds are full of water,

they pour rain on the earth.

Whether a tree falls to the south or to the north,

in the place where it falls, there it will lie.

4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;

whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

5 As you do not know the path of the wind,

or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb,

so you cannot understand the work of God,

the Maker of all things.

6 Sow your seed in the morning,

and at evening let your hands not be idle,

for you do not know which will succeed,

whether this or that,

or whether both will do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While Young

7 Light is sweet,

and it pleases the eyes to see the sun.

8 However many years anyone may live,

let them enjoy them all.

But let them remember the days of darkness,

for there will be many.

Everything to come is meaningless.

9 You who are young, be happy while you are young,

and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.

Follow the ways of your heart

and whatever your eyes see,

but know that for all these things

God will bring you into judgment.

10 So then, banish anxiety from your heart

and cast off the troubles of your body,

for youth and vigor are meaningless.

Chapter 12

1 Remember your Creator

in the days of your youth,

before the days of trouble come

and the years approach when you will say,

“I find no pleasure in them”—

2 before the sun and the light

and the moon and the stars grow dark,

and the clouds return after the rain;

3 when the keepers of the house tremble,

and the strong men stoop,

when the grinders cease because they are few,

and those looking through the windows grow dim;

4 when the doors to the street are closed

and the sound of grinding fades;

when people rise up at the sound of birds,

but all their songs grow faint;

5 when people are afraid of heights

and of dangers in the streets;

when the almond tree blossoms

and the grasshopper drags itself along

and desire no longer is stirred.

Then people go to their eternal home

and mourners go about the streets.

6 Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,

and the golden bowl is broken;

before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,

and the wheel broken at the well,

7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

8 “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher.

“Everything is meaningless!”

The Conclusion of the Matter

9 Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. 10 The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true.

11 The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. 12 Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.

Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

13 Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the duty of all mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.

Psalm 94

1 The Lord is a God who avenges.

O God who avenges, shine forth.

2 Rise up, Judge of the earth;

pay back to the proud what they deserve.

3 How long, Lord, will the wicked,

how long will the wicked be jubilant?

4 They pour out arrogant words;

all the evildoers are full of boasting.

5 They crush your people, Lord;

they oppress your inheritance.

6 They slay the widow and the foreigner;

they murder the fatherless.

7 They say, “The Lord does not see;

the God of Jacob takes no notice.”

8 Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;

you fools, when will you become wise?

9 Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?

Does he who formed the eye not see?

10 Does he who disciplines nations not punish?

Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge?

11 The Lord knows all human plans;

he knows that they are futile.

12 Blessed is the one you discipline, Lord,

the one you teach from your law;

13 you grant them relief from days of trouble,

till a pit is dug for the wicked.

14 For the Lord will not reject his people;

he will never forsake his inheritance.

15 Judgment will again be founded on righteousness,

and all the upright in heart will follow it.

16 Who will rise up for me against the wicked?

Who will take a stand for me against evildoers?

17 Unless the Lord had given me help,

I would soon have dwelt in the silence of death.

18 When I said, “My foot is slipping,”

your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.

19 When anxiety was great within me,

your consolation brought me joy.

20 Can a corrupt throne be allied with you—

a throne that brings on misery by its decrees?

21 The wicked band together against the righteous

and condemn the innocent to death.

22 But the Lord has become my fortress,

and my God the rock in whom I take refuge.

23 He will repay them for their sins

and destroy them for their wickedness;

the Lord our God will destroy them.

Chapter 5

1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.

8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:

“Wake up, sleeper,

rise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

15 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Instructions for Christian Households

21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 

32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.