Ecclesiastes 10; Ecclesiastes 11; Ecclesiastes 12; Galatians 1

1 Dying flies spoil the sweetness of the ointment. Wisdom and glory is more precious than a small and shortlived folly.

2 The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool is in his left hand.

3 Yea, and the fool when he walketh in the way, whereas he himself is a fool, esteemeth all men fools.

4 If the spirit of him that hath power, ascend upon thee, leave not thy place: because care will make the greatest sins to cease.

5 There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, as it were by an error proceeding from the face of the prince:

6 A fool set in high dignity, and the rich sitting beneath.

7 I have seen servants upon horses: and princes walking on the ground as servants.

8 He that diggeth a pit, shall fall into it: and he that breaketh a hedge, a serpent shall bite him.

9 He that removeth stones, shall be hurt by them: and he that cutteth trees, shall be wounded by them.

10 If the iron be blunt, and be not as before, but be made blunt, with much labour it shall be sharpened: and after industry shall follow wisdom.

11 If a serpent bite in silence, he is nothing better that backbiteth secretly.

12 The words of the mouth of a wise man are grace: but the lips of a fool shall throw him down headlong.

13 The beginning of his words is folly, and the end of his talk is a mischievous error.

14 A fool multiplieth words. A man cannot tell what hath been before him: and what shall be after him, who can tell him?

15 The labour of fools shall afflict them that know not how to go to the city.

16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and when the princes eat in the morning.

17 Blessed is the land, whose king is noble, and whose princes eat in due season for refreshment, and not for riotousness.

18 By slothfulness a building shall be brought down, and through the weakness of hands, the house shall drop through.

19 For laughter they make bread, and wine that the living may feast: and all things obey money.

20 Detract not the king, no not in thy thought; and speak not evil of the rich man in thy private chamber: because even the birds of the air will carry thy voice, and he that hath wings will tell what thou hast said.

1 Cast thy bread upon the running waters: for after a long time thou shalt find it again.

2 Give a portion to seven, and also to eight: for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

3 If the clouds be full, they will pour out rain upon the earth. If the tree fall to the south, or to the north, in what place soever it shall fall, there shall it be.

4 He that observeth the wind, shall not sow: and he that considereth the clouds, shall never reap.

5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones are joined together in the womb of her that is with child: so thou knowest not the works of God, who is the maker of all.

6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening let not thy hand cease: for thou knowest not which may rather spring up, this or that: and if both together, it shall be the better.

7 The light is sweet, and it is delightful for the eyes to see the sun.

8 If a man live many years, and have rejoiced in them all, he must remember the darksome time, and the many days: which when they shall come, the things past shall be accused of vanity.

9 Rejoice therefore, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart be in that which is good in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thy heart, and in the sight of thy eyes: and know that for all these God will bring thee into judgment.

10 Remove anger from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh. For youth and pleasure are vain.

1 Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not:

2 Before the sun, and the light, and the moon, and the stars be darkened, and the clouds return after the rain:

3 When the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall stagger, and the grinders shall be idle in a small number, and they that look through the holes shall be darkened:

4 And they shall shut the doors in the street, when the grinder’s voice shall be low, and they shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall grow deaf.

5 And they shall fear high things, and they shall be afraid in the way, the almond tree shall flourish, the locust shall be made fat, and the caper tree shall be destroyed: because man shall go into the house of his eternity, and the mourners shall go round about in the street.

6 Before the silver cord be broken, and the golden fillet shrink back, and the pitcher be crushed at the fountain, and the wheel be broken upon the cistern,

7 And the dust return into its earth, from whence it was, and the spirit return to God, who gave it.

8 Vanity of vanities, said Ecclesiastes, and all things are vanity.

9 And whereas Ecclesiastes was very wise, he taught the people, and declared the things that he had done: and seeking out, he set forth many parables.

10 He sought profitable words, and wrote words most right, and full of truth.

11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails deeply fastened in, which by the counsel of masters are given from one shepherd.

12 More than these, my son, require not. Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.

13 Let us all hear together the conclusion of the discourse. Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is all man:

14 And all things that are done, God will bring into judgment for every error, whether it be good or evil.

1 Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead:

2 And all the brethren who are with me: to the churches of Galatia.

3 Grace be to you, and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ,

4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present wicked world, according to the will of God and our Father:

5 To whom is glory for ever and ever. Amen.

6 I wonder that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel.

7 Which is not another: only there are some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema.

9 As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema.

10 For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

11 For I give you to understand, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.

12 For neither did I receive it of man: nor did I learn it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.

13 For you have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews’ religion: how that, beyond measure, I persecuted the church of God and wasted it.

14 And I made progress in the Jew’s religion above many of my equals in my own nation, being more abundantly zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

15 But when it pleased him who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace,

16 To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles: immediately I condescended not to flesh and blood.

17 Neither went I to Jerusalem, to the apostles who were before me: but I went into Arabia, and again I returned to Damascus.

18 Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter: and I tarried with him fifteen days.

19 But other of the apostles I saw none, saving James the brother of the Lord.

20 Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I lie not.

21 Afterwards, I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.

22 And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ:

23 But they had heard only: He, who persecuted us in times past doth now preach the faith which once he impugned.

24 And they glorified God in me.