The Vanity of Wisdom

12 I ^othe Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I ^papplied my heart¹ to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy ^qbusiness that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is ^rvanity² and a striving after wind.³

The Vanity of Toil

18 I hated ^yall my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must ^zleave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I ^aturned about and gave my heart up to despair ^bover all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from ^call the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For ^dall his days are full of sorrow, and his ^ework is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.

24 ^fThere is nothing better for a person than that he should ^geat and drink and find enjoyment¹ in his toil. This also, I saw, is ^hfrom the hand of God, 25 for apart from him² who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him ⁱGod has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given ^ethe business of gathering and collecting, ^jonly to give to one who pleases God. ^kThis also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Put On the New Self

1 ^bIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek ^cthe things that are above, where Christ is, ^dseated at the right hand of God. 2 ^eSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For ^fyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ ^gwho is your¹ life ^happears, then you also will appear with him ⁱin glory.

5 ^jPut to death therefore ^kwhat is earthly in you:^{2 l}sexual immorality, impurity, ^mpassion, evil desire, and covetousness, ⁿwhich is idolatry. 6 ^oOn account of these the wrath of God is coming.³ 7 ^pIn these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now ^qyou must put them all away: ^ranger, wrath, malice, ^sslander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 ^tDo not lie to one another, seeing that ^uyou have put off ^vthe old self⁴ with its practices 10 and ^whave put on ^xthe new self, ^ywhich is being renewed in knowledge ^zafter the image of ^aits creator. 11 ^bHere there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,⁵ free; but Christ is ^call, and in all.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

13 ^sSomeone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, ^t“Man, ^uwho made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” 15 And he said to them, ^v“Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 16 And he told them a parable, saying, ^w“The land of a rich man produced plentifully, 17 and he thought to himself, ^x‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my ^ybarns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up ^zfor many years; relax, ^aeat, drink, be merry.”’ 20 But God said to him, ^b‘Fool! ^zThis night ^cyour soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, ^dwhose will they be?’ 21 So is the one ^ewho lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”