ECCLESIASTES 10:1-12:14
2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-15
PSALM 49:1-20
PROVERBS 22:20-21
ECCLESIASTES 10:1-12:14
Dead flies will cause even a bottle of perfume to stink! Yes, an ounce of foolishness can outweigh a pound of wisdom and honor. 2 The hearts of the wise lead them to do right, and the hearts of the foolish lead them to do evil. 3 You can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street! 4 If your boss is angry with you, don't quit! A quiet spirit can overcome even great mistakes. 5 There is another evil I have seen as I have watched the world go by. Kings and rulers make a grave mistake 6 if they give foolish people great authority, and if they fail to give people of proven worth their rightful place of dignity. 7 I have even seen servants riding like princes--and princes walking like servants. 8 When you dig a well, you may fall in. When you demolish an old wall, you could be bitten by a snake. 9 When you work in a quarry, stones might fall and crush you! When you chop wood, there is danger with each stroke of your ax! Such are the risks of life. 10 Since a dull ax requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That's the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed. 11 It does no good to charm a snake after it has bitten you. 12 It is pleasant to listen to wise words, but the speech of fools brings them to ruin. 13 Since fools base their thoughts on foolish premises, their conclusions will be wicked madness. 14 Foolish people claim to know all about the future and tell everyone the details! But who can really know what is going to happen? 15 Fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks.16 Destruction is certain for the land whose king is a child and whose leaders feast in the morning. 17 Happy is the land whose king is a nobleman and whose leaders feast only to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk. 18 Laziness lets the roof leak, and soon the rafters begin to rot. 19 A party gives laughter, and wine gives happiness, and money gives everything! 20 Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts. And don't make fun of a rich man, either. A little bird may tell them what you have said.11:1 GIVE generously, for your gifts will return to you later.* 2 Divide your gifts among many, for you do not know what risks might lie ahead. 3 When the clouds are heavy, the rains come down. When a tree falls, whether south or north, there it lies. 4 If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done. 5 God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathways of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb. 6 Be sure to stay busy and plant a variety of crops, for you never know which will grow--perhaps they all will. 7 Light is sweet; it's wonderful to see the sun! 8 When people live to be very old, let them rejoice in every day of life. But let them also remember that the dark days will be many. Everything still to come is meaningless.9 Young man, it's wonderful to be young! Enjoy every minute of it. Do everything you want to do; take it all in. But remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do. 10 So banish grief and pain, but remember that youth, with a whole life before it, still faces the threat of meaninglessness. 12:1 DON'T let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and no longer enjoy living. 2 It will be too late then to remember him, when the light of the sun and moon and stars is dim to your old eyes, and there is no silver lining left among the clouds. 3 Your limbs will tremble with age, and your strong legs will grow weak. Your teeth will be too few to do their work, and you will be blind, too. 4 And when your teeth are gone, keep your lips tightly closed when you eat! Even the chirping of birds will wake you up. But you yourself will be deaf and tuneless, with a quavering voice. 5 You will be afraid of heights and of falling, white-haired and withered, dragging along without any sexual desire. You will be standing at death's door. And as you near your everlasting home, the mourners will walk along the streets. 6 Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken. Don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well. 7 For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it. 8 " All is meaningless," says the Teacher, " utterly meaningless." 9 Because the Teacher was wise, he taught the people everything he knew. He collected proverbs and classified them. 10 Indeed, the Teacher taught the plain truth, and he did so in an interesting way.11 A wise teacher's words spur students to action and emphasize important truths. The collected sayings of the wise are like guidance from a shepherd. 12 But, my child, be warned: There is no end of opinions ready to be expressed. Studying them can go on forever and become very exhausting! 13 Here is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is the duty of every person. 14 God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-15
Now I [Paul] want to tell you, dear brothers and sisters,* what God in his kindness has done for the churches in Macedonia. 2 Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, their wonderful joy and deep poverty have overflowed in rich generosity. 3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the gracious privilege of sharing in the gift for the Christians in Jerusalem. 5 Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us for whatever directions God might give them. 6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to complete your share in this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways--you have so much faith, such gifted speakers, such knowledge, such enthusiasm, and such love for us--now I want you to excel also in this gracious ministry of giving. 8 I am not saying you must do it, even though the other churches are eager to do it. This is one way to prove your love is real. 9 You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.10 I suggest that you finish what you started a year ago, for you were the first to propose this idea, and you were the first to begin doing something about it. 11 Now you should carry this project through to completion just as enthusiastically as you began it. Give whatever you can according to what you have. 12 If you are really eager to give, it isn't important how much you are able to give. God wants you to give what you have, not what you don't have. 13 Of course, I don't mean you should give so much that you suffer from having too little. I only mean that there should be some equality. 14 Right now you have plenty and can help them. Then at some other time they can share with you when you need it. In this way, everyone's needs will be met. 15 Do you remember what the Scriptures say about this? " Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough."
PSALM 49:1-20
For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah.
1 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, everyone in the world!
2 High and low,
rich and poor--listen!
3 For my words are wise,
and my thoughts are filled with insight.
4 I listen carefully to many proverbs
and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.
5 There is no need to fear when times of trouble come,
when enemies are surrounding me.
6 They trust in their wealth
and boast of great riches.
7 Yet they cannot redeem themselves from death
by paying a ransom to God.
8 Redemption does not come so easily,
for no one can ever pay enough
9 to live forever
and never see the grave.
10 Those who are wise must finally die,
just like the foolish and senseless,
leaving all their wealth behind.
11 The grave is their eternal home,
where they will stay forever.
They may name their estates after themselves,
but they leave their wealth to others.
12 They will not last long despite their riches--
they will die like the animals.
13 This is the fate of fools,
though they will be remembered as being so wise.
Interlude14 Like sheep, they are led to the grave,
where death will be their shepherd.
In the morning the godly will rule over them.
Their bodies will rot in the grave,
far from their grand estates.
15 But as for me, God will redeem my life.
He will snatch me from the power of death.
Interlude16 So don't be dismayed when the wicked grow rich,
and their homes become ever more splendid.
17 For when they die, they carry nothing with them.
Their wealth will not follow them into the grave.
18 In this life they consider themselves fortunate,
and the world loudly applauds their success.
19 But they will die like all others before them
and never again see the light of day.
20 People who boast of their wealth don't understand
that they will die like the animals.
PROVERBS 22:20-21
I have written thirty sayings for you, filled with advice and knowledge. In this way, you may know the truth and bring an accurate report to those who sent you.
