Keep the King’s Command

2 I say:¹ Keep the king’s command, because of God’s oath to him.² 3 Be not hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and who may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.³ 6 For ^gthere is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble⁴ lies heavy on him. 7 For he does not know what is to be, for ^hwho can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to retain the spirit, or power over the day of death. There is no discharge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 All this I observed while ⁱapplying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.

Those Who Fear God Will Do Well

10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of the holy place and were praised⁵ in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity.⁶ 11 Because the sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, ^jthe heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and ^kprolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who ^lfear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

Man Cannot Know God’s Ways

14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and ^mthere are wicked people to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man has ⁿnothing better under the sun but to ^oeat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on earth, how neither day nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the ^pwork of God, that man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, he cannot find it out.

Blessed Is Everyone Who Fears the Lord

A Song of Ascents.

1 Since we have these promises, beloved, ^qlet us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body¹ and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the ^rfear of God.

Paul’s Joy

2 ^sMake room in your hearts² for us. ^tWe have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. 3 I do not say this to condemn you, for ^uI said before that you are ^vin our hearts, to die together and to live together. 4 I am acting with great ^wboldness toward you; I have great ^xpride in you; ^yI am filled with comfort. In ^zall our affliction, I am ^aoverflowing with joy.

5 For even when we came into Macedonia, our bodies had ^bno rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—fighting without and fear within. 6 But God, who ^ccomforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of ^dTitus, 7 and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. 8 For ^eeven if I made you grieve with ^fmy letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. 9 As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

10 For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 11 For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. 12 So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one who did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. 13 Therefore we are ^gcomforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For whatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as ^heverything we said to you was true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. 15 And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers the ⁱobedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice, because ^jI have complete confidence in you.

Encouragement to Give Generously

1 We want you to know, brothers,³ about the grace of God that has been given ^kamong the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their ^labundance of joy and ^mtheir extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave ⁿaccording to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor⁴ of taking part in the ^orelief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, ^pwe urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this ^qact of grace. 7 But ^ras you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you⁵—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

8 ^sI say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is ^tgenuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, ^uyet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might ^vbecome rich. 10 And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who ^wa year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. 11 So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have. 12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their ^xneed, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, ^y“Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.”

Commendation of Titus

16 ^zBut thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest he is going⁶ to you of his own accord. 18 With him we are sending^{7 a}the brother who is famous among all the churches for his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been ^bappointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21 for we ^caim at what is ^dhonorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now more earnest than ever because of his great ^econfidence in you. 23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our brothers, they are messengers⁸ of the churches, the glory of Christ. 24 So give proof before the churches of your love and of our ^fboasting about you to these men.