The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly
1 jA good name is better than precious ointment,
and kthe day of death than the day of birth.
2 It is better to go to the house of mourning
than to go to the house of feasting,
for this is the end of all mankind,
and the living will lay it to heart.
3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.
4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise
than to hear the song of fools.
6 For as the crackling of lthorns under a pot,
so is the laughter of the fools;
this also is vanity.1
7 Surely moppression drives the wise into madness,
and a nbribe corrupts the heart.
8 Better is the end of a thing than its beginning,
and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
9 Be not quick in your spirit to become oangry,
for anger lodges in the heart2 of fools.
10 Say not, “Why were the former days better than these?”
For it is not from wisdom that you ask this.
11 pWisdom is good with an inheritance,
an advantage to those who qsee the sun.
12 For the protection of wisdom is like the protection of money,
and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of him who has it.
13 Consider the work of God:
rwho can make straight what he has made crooked?
14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that sman may not find out tanything that will be after him.
15 In my uvain3 life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and vthere is a wicked man who wprolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die xbefore your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who yfears God shall come out from both of them.
19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.
20 zSurely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.
21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.
23 All this I have tested by awisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?
25 I turned my heart to know and to bsearch out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of cfolly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more dbitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. eHe who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the fPreacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.
Unless the Lord Builds the House
A Song of Ascents. oOf Solomon.
1 Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
2 It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of panxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep.
3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the children1 of one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
who fills his quiver with them!
He shall qnot be put to shame
when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.2
The Light of the Gospel
1 Therefore, having this ministry rby the mercy of God,1 we do not slose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. tWe refuse to practice2 cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth uwe would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even vif our gospel is veiled, it is veiled wto those who are perishing. 4 In their case the xgod of this world has yblinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the zimage of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but aJesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your bservants3 for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, c“Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts dto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure in Jars of Clay
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 eWe are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 falways carrying in the body the death of Jesus, gso that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are halways being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So ideath is at work in us, but life in you.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, j“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 kknowing that lhe who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and mbring us with you into his presence. 15 For nit is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self4 is wasting away, our oinner self is being prenewed day by day. 17 For qthis light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look rnot to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Our Heavenly Dwelling
1 For we know that if the stent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a thouse not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we ugroan, longing vto put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on5 we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a wguarantee.6
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for xwe walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and ywe would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For zwe must all appear before the ajudgment seat of Christ, so that beach one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, knowing the cfear of the Lord, we persuade others. But dwhat we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 eWe are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause fto boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward gappearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For hif we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died ifor all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for jall, that those who live might kno longer live for themselves but lfor him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one maccording to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a nnew creation.7 oThe old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ preconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling8 the world to himself, not qcounting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are rambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake she made him to be sin twho knew no sin, uso that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
1 Working together with him, then, we appeal to you not to receive the grace of God vin vain. 2 For he says,
w“In a favorable time I listened to you,
and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”
Behold, xnow is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. 3 We put no yobstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God zwe commend ourselves in every way: aby great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the bpower of God; with the cweapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as ddying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet ealways rejoicing; as poor, yet making many frich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you,9 Corinthians; our heart is wide open. 12 You are not restricted by us, but gyou are restricted in your own affections. 13 In return (I speak as to children) widen your hearts also.
The Temple of the Living God
14 Do not be hunequally yoked with unbelievers. For iwhat partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or jwhat fellowship has light with darkness? 15 kWhat accord has Christ with Belial?10 Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For lwe are the temple of the living God; as God said,
m“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
17 Therefore ngo out from their midst,
and be separate from them, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing;
then I will welcome you,
18 and oI will be a father to you,
and you shall be psons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty.”
