Ecclesiastes 7; Ecclesiastes 8; Ecclesiastes 9; 2 Corinthians 13

1 A good name is better than fine perfume. People can learn more from sobbing when someone dies than from being happy when someone is born.

2 So it's better to go where people are sobbing than to go where people are having a good time. Everyone will die someday. Those who are still living should really think about that.

3 Sadness is good for the heart. That's why sorrow is better than laughter.

4 Those who are wise are found where there is sorrow. But foolish people are found where there is pleasure.

5 Pay attention to a wise man's warning. That's better than listening to the songs of those who are foolish.

6 A foolish person's laughter is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot. That doesn't have any meaning either.

7 When a wise man takes wealth by force, he becomes foolish. It is sinful to take money from people who want special favors.

8 The end of a matter is better than its beginning. So it's better to be patient than proud.

9 Don't become angry quickly. Anger lives in the hearts of foolish people.

10 Don't say, "Why were things better in the good old days?" It isn't wise to ask that kind of question.

11 Wisdom is a good thing. It's like getting a share of the family wealth. It benefits those who live on this earth.

12 Wisdom provides safety, just as money provides safety. But here's the advantage of wisdom. It guards the lives of those who have it.

13 Think about what God has done. Who can make straight what he has made crooked?

14 When times are good, be happy. But when times are bad, here's something to think about. God has made bad times. He has also made good times. So a man can't find out anything about what's ahead for him.

15 In my meaningless life here's what I've seen. I've seen a godly man dying even though he is godly. And I've seen a sinful man living a long time even though he is sinful.

16 Don't claim to be better than you are. And don't claim to be wiser than you are. Why destroy yourself?

17 Don't be too sinful. And don't be foolish. Why die before your time comes?

18 It's good to hold on to both of those things. Don't let go of either one. A man who has respect for God will avoid going too far in either direction.

19 Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.

20 There isn't anyone on earth who does only what is right and never sins.

21 Don't pay attention to everything people say. If you do, you might hear your servant calling down a curse on you.

22 Many times you yourself have called down curses on others. Deep down inside, you know that's true.

23 I used wisdom to put all of those things to the test. I said, "I've made up my mind to be wise." But it was more than I could accomplish.

24 No matter what else wisdom may be, it's far away and very deep. Who can find it?

25 So I tried to understand wisdom more completely. I wanted to study it and figure it out. I tried to find out everything I could about it. I tried to understand why it's foolish to be evil. I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.

26 A woman who hunts a man down is more painful than death. Her heart is like a trap. Her hands are like chains. A man who pleases God will try to get away from her. But she will trap a sinner.

27 "Look," says the Teacher. "Here's what I've discovered. "I added one thing to another to find out everything I could about wisdom.

28 I searched and searched but found very little. I did find one honest man among a thousand. But I didn't find one honest woman among a thousand.

29 Here's the only other thing I found. God made men honest. But they've made many evil plans."

1 Who is like a wise man? Who knows how to explain things? Wisdom makes a man's face bright. It softens the look on his face.

2 I'm telling you to obey the king's command. You took an oath to serve him. You made a promise to God.

3 Don't be in a hurry to quit your job in the palace. Don't stand up for something the king doesn't like. He'll do anything he wants to.

4 He has the final word. So who can ask him, "What are you doing?"

5 No one who obeys his command will be harmed. Those who are wise will know the proper time and way to approach him.

6 There's a proper time and way for people to do everything. That's true even though a man might be suffering greatly.

7 No one knows what lies ahead. So who can tell a person what's going to happen?

8 He can't stop the wind from blowing. And he doesn't have the power to decide when he will die. No one is let out of the army in times of war. And evil won't let go of those who practice it.

9 I understood all of those things. I used my mind to study everything that's done on earth. A man sometimes makes life hard for others. But he ends up hurting himself.

10 I also saw sinful people being buried. They used to come and go from the place of worship. And others praised them in the city where they worshiped. That doesn't have any meaning either.

11 Sometimes the sentence for a crime isn't carried out quickly. So people make plans to commit even more crimes.

12 An evil man may be guilty of a hundred crimes and still live a long time. But I know that things will go better with men who have great respect for God.

13 Sinful people don't respect God. So things won't go well with them. Like a shadow, they won't be around very long.

14 Here's something else on this earth that doesn't have any meaning. Sometimes godly men get what sinful people should receive. And sinful men get what godly people should receive. Here's what I'm telling you. That doesn't have any meaning either.

15 So I advise everyone to enjoy life. A man on this earth can't do anything better than eat and drink and be glad. Then he will enjoy his work. He'll be happy all the days of the life God has given him on earth.

16 I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. I wanted to observe the hard work man does on earth. He doesn't close his eyes and go to sleep day or night.

17 I saw everything God has done. No one can understand what happens on earth. Man might try very hard to figure it out. But he still can't discover what it all means. A wise man might claim he knows. But he can't really understand it either.

1 I thought about all of those things. I realized that those who are wise and do what is right are under God's control. What they do is also under his control. But a man doesn't know whether God will show favor to him.

2 Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. It comes to good and bad people alike. It comes to "clean" and "unclean" people alike. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don't offer them also die. A good person dies, and so does a sinner. Those who take oaths die. So do those who are afraid to take them.

3 Here's what is so bad about everything that happens on this earth. Death catches up with all of us. Also, the hearts of people are full of evil. They live in foolish pleasure. After that, they join those who have already died.

4 Anyone who is living still has hope. Even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

5 People who are still alive know they'll die. But those who have died don't know anything. They don't receive any more rewards. And they are soon forgotten.

6 Their love, hate and jealousy disappear. They will never share again in anything that happens on earth.

7 Go and enjoy your food. Be joyful as you drink your wine. Now is the time God favors what you do.

8 Always wear white clothes to show you are happy. Anoint your head with olive oil.

9 You love your wife. So enjoy life with her. Do it all the days of this meaningless life God has given you on earth. That's what he made you for. That's what you get for all of your hard work on earth.

10 No matter what you do, work at it with all your might. Remember, you are going to your grave. And there isn't any work or planning or knowledge or wisdom there.

11 Here's something else I've seen on this earth. Races aren't always won by those who run fast. Battles aren't always won by those who are strong. Wise people don't always have plenty of food. Clever people aren't always wealthy. Those who have learned a lot aren't always favored. God controls the timing of every event. He also controls how things turn out.

12 A man doesn't know when trouble will come to him. Fish are caught in nets. Birds are taken in traps. And people are trapped by hard times that come when they don't expect them.

13 Here's something else I saw on this earth. I saw an example of wisdom that touched me deeply.

14 There was once a small city. Only a few people lived there. A powerful king attacked it. He brought in war machines all around it.

15 A certain man lived in that city. He was poor but wise. He used his wisdom to save the city. But no one remembered that poor man.

16 So I said, "It's better to be wise than to be powerful." But people looked down on the poor man's wisdom. No one paid any attention to what he said.

17 People should listen to the quiet words of those who are wise. That's better than paying attention to the shouts of a ruler of foolish people.

18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war. But one sinner destroys a lot of good.

1 This will be my third visit to you. Scripture says, "Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses."(Deuteronomy 19:15)

2 I already warned you during my second visit. I now say it again while I'm away. When I return, I won't spare those who sinned earlier. I won't spare any of the others either.

3 You are asking me to prove that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you. He is powerful among you.

4 It is true that Christ was nailed to the cross because he was weak. But he lives by God's power. In the same way, I share his weakness. But by God's power I will live with him to serve you.

5 Take a good look at yourselves to see if you are really believers. Test yourselves. Don't you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test!

6 I hope you will discover that I haven't failed the test.

7 I pray to God that you won't do anything wrong. I don't pray so that people will see that I have passed the test. Instead, I pray so that you will do what is right, even if it seems I have failed.

8 I can't do anything to stop the truth. I can only work for the truth.

9 I'm glad when I am weak but you are strong. I pray that you will become perfect.

10 That's why I write these things before I come to you. Then when I do come, I won't have to be hard on you when I use my authority. The Lord gave me the authority to build you up. He didn't give it to me to tear you down.

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, good-by. Try to be perfect. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13 All of God's people send their greetings.

14 May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love that God has given us, and the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all.