The Gospel of Mark (Part Seven)

Life Light: Gospel of John

The Believer

The Greatest Story: Through the Bible in a Year

God in 60 Seconds: Music's Connection to God

Prayer Altars: Embracing the Priestly Call to Prayer

Nicaea - Renewing the Faith

The Lighthouse in the Fog

The Meaning of Life

Thriving in God’s Family

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

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   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="ECC.5">
         <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Fulfill Your Vow to God</span></div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="ft">  </span><span class="ft">In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:17, and 5:2-20 is numbered 5:1-19.</span><span class="ft">  </span></span></span><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.5.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.5.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">Do not be quick with your mouth,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">do not be hasty in your heart</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">to utter anything before God.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">God is in heaven</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">and you are on earth,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">so let your words be few.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.5.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.5.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">A dream comes when there are many cares,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.5.3"><span class="content">and many words mark the speech of a fool.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.5.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.5.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.5.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it. </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.5.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, &#8220;My vow was a mistake.&#8221; Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.5.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Riches Are Meaningless</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.5.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.5.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.5.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.5.9"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.5.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Whoever loves money never has enough;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.5.10"><span class="content">whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.5.10"><span class="content">This too is meaningless.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.5.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.5.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">As goods increase,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.5.11"><span class="content">so do those who consume them.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.5.11"><span class="content">And what benefit are they to the owners</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.5.11"><span class="content">except to feast their eyes on them?</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.5.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.5.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">The sleep of a laborer is sweet,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.5.12"><span class="content">whether they eat little or much,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.5.12"><span class="content">but as for the rich, their abundance</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.5.12"><span class="content">permits them no sleep.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.5.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.5.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.5.13"><span class="content">wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.5.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.5.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">or wealth lost through some misfortune,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.5.14"><span class="content">so that when they have children</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.5.14"><span class="content">there is nothing left for them to inherit.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.5.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.5.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">Everyone comes naked from their mother&#8217;s womb,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.5.15"><span class="content">and as everyone comes, so they depart.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.5.15"><span class="content">They take nothing from their toil</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.5.15"><span class="content">that they can carry in their hands.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.5.15"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.5.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">This too is a grievous evil:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.5.16"><span class="content">As everyone comes, so they depart,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.5.16"><span class="content">and what do they gain,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.5.16"><span class="content">since they toil for the wind?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.5.16"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.5.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">All their days they eat in darkness,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.5.17"><span class="content">with great frustration, affliction and anger.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.5.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.5.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them&#8212;for this is their lot. </span></span><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.5.19"><span class="label">19</span><span class="content">Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil&#8212;this is a gift of God. </span></span><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.5.20"><span class="label">20</span><span class="content">They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.</span></span></div>
      </div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch6" data-usfm="ECC.6">
         <div class="label">6</div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.6.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.6.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them, and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.6.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.6.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he. </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.6.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.6.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man&#8212; </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.6.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.6.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.6.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Everyone&#8217;s toil is for their mouth,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.6.7"><span class="content">yet their appetite is never satisfied.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.6.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.6.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">What advantage have the wise over fools?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.6.8"><span class="content">What do the poor gain</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.6.8"><span class="content">by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.6.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.6.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">Better what the eye sees</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.6.9"><span class="content">than the roving of the appetite.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.6.9"><span class="content">This too is meaningless,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.6.9"><span class="content">a chasing after the wind.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.6.9"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.6.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Whatever exists has already been named,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.6.10"><span class="content">and what humanity is has been known;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.6.10"><span class="content">no one can contend</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.6.10"><span class="content">with someone who is stronger.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.6.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.6.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">The more the words,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.6.11"><span class="content">the less the meaning,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.6.11"><span class="content">and how does that profit anyone?</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.6.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.6.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days they pass through like a shadow? Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?</span></span></div>
      </div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch7" data-usfm="ECC.7">
         <div class="label">7</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Wisdom</span></div><div class="q1"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.7.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">A good name is better than fine perfume,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.7.1"><span class="content">and the day of death better than the day of birth.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.7.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.7.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">It is better to go to a house of mourning</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.7.2"><span class="content">than to go to a house of feasting,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.7.2"><span class="content">for death is the destiny of everyone;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.7.2"><span class="content">the living should take this to heart.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.7.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.7.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Frustration is better than laughter,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.7.3"><span class="content">because a sad face is good for the heart.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.7.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.7.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.7.4"><span class="content">but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.7.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.7.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">It is better to heed the rebuke of a wise person</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.7.5"><span class="content">than to listen to the song of fools.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.7.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.7.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Like the crackling of thorns under the pot,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.7.6"><span class="content">so is the laughter of fools.</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.7.6"><span class="content">This too is meaningless.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.7.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.7.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Extortion turns a wise person into a fool,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.7.7"><span class="content">and a bribe corrupts the heart.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.7.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.7.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">The end of a matter is better than its beginning,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.7.8"><span class="content">and patience is better than pride.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.7.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.7.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.7.9"><span class="content">for anger resides in the lap of fools.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.7.9"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.7.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Do not say, &#8220;Why were the old days better than these?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.7.10"><span class="content">For it is not wise to ask such questions.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.7.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.7.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.7.11"><span class="content">and benefits those who see the sun.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.7.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.7.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Wisdom is a shelter</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.7.12"><span class="content">as money is a shelter,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.7.12"><span class="content">but the advantage of knowledge is this:</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.7.12"><span class="content">Wisdom preserves those who have it.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.7.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.7.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">Consider what God has done:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.7.13"><span class="content">Who can straighten</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.7.13"><span class="content">what he has made crooked?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.7.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">When times are good, be happy;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">but when times are bad, consider this:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">God has made the one</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">as well as the other.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">Therefore, no one can discover</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">anything about their future.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.7.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.7.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.7.15"><span class="content">the righteous perishing in their righteousness,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.7.15"><span class="content">and the wicked living long in their wickedness.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.7.15"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.7.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">Do not be overrighteous,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.7.16"><span class="content">neither be overwise&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.7.16"><span class="content">why destroy yourself?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.7.16"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.7.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">Do not be overwicked,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.7.17"><span class="content">and do not be a fool&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.7.17"><span class="content">why die before your time?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.7.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.7.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">It is good to grasp the one</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.7.18"><span class="content">and not let go of the other.</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.7.18"><span class="content">Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">7:18 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">will follow them both</span></span></span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.7.18"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.7.19"><span class="label">19</span><span class="content">Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.7.19"><span class="content">than ten rulers in a city.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.7.19"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.7.20"><span class="label">20</span><span class="content">Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.7.20"><span class="content">no one who does what is right and never sins.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.7.20"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="ECC.7.21"><span class="label">21</span><span class="content">Do not pay attention to every word people say,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="ECC.7.21"><span class="content">or you may hear your servant cursing you&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="ECC.7.21"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="ECC.7.22"><span class="label">22</span><span class="content">for you know in your heart</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="ECC.7.22"><span class="content">that many times you yourself have cursed others.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="ECC.7.22"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="ECC.7.23"><span class="label">23</span><span class="content">All this I tested by wisdom and I said,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="ECC.7.23"><span class="content">&#8220;I am determined to be wise&#8221;&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="ECC.7.23"><span class="content">but this was beyond me.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="ECC.7.23"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v24" data-usfm="ECC.7.24"><span class="label">24</span><span class="content">Whatever exists is far off and most profound&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v24" data-usfm="ECC.7.24"><span class="content">who can discover it?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v24" data-usfm="ECC.7.24"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="ECC.7.25"><span class="label">25</span><span class="content">So I turned my mind to understand,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="ECC.7.25"><span class="content">to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="ECC.7.25"><span class="content">and to understand the stupidity of wickedness</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="ECC.7.25"><span class="content">and the madness of folly.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="ECC.7.25"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="label">26</span><span class="content">I find more bitter than death</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">the woman who is a snare,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">whose heart is a trap</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">and whose hands are chains.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">The man who pleases God will escape her,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">but the sinner she will ensnare.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="ECC.7.26"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v27" data-usfm="ECC.7.27"><span class="label">27</span><span class="content">&#8220;Look,&#8221; says the Teacher,</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">7:27 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">the leader of the assembly</span></span></span><span class="content"> &#8220;this is what I have discovered:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v27" data-usfm="ECC.7.27"><span class="content">&#8220;Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v27" data-usfm="ECC.7.27"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="ECC.7.28"><span class="label">28</span><span class="content">while I was still searching</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="ECC.7.28"><span class="content">but not finding&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="ECC.7.28"><span class="content">I found one upright man among a thousand,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="ECC.7.28"><span class="content">but not one upright woman among them all.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="ECC.7.28"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v29" data-usfm="ECC.7.29"><span class="label">29</span><span class="content">This only have I found:</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v29" data-usfm="ECC.7.29"><span class="content">God created mankind upright,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v29" data-usfm="ECC.7.29"><span class="content">but they have gone in search of many schemes.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="b"></div>
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      <div class="chapter ch8" data-usfm="ECC.8">
         <div class="label">8</div><div class="q1"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Who is like the wise?</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">Who knows the explanation of things?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">A person&#8217;s wisdom brightens their face</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">and changes its hard appearance.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Obey the King</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.8.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">Obey the king&#8217;s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.8.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Do not be in a hurry to leave the king&#8217;s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.8.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">Since a king&#8217;s word is supreme, who can say to him, &#8220;What are you doing?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.8.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="content">and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="content">though a person may be weighed down by misery.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Since no one knows the future,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="content">who can tell someone else what is to come?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">As no one has power over the wind to contain it,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">so</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:8 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">over the human spirit to retain it, / and so</span></span></span><span class="content"> no one has power over the time of their death.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">As no one is discharged in time of war,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">so wickedness will not release those who practice it.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.8.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:9 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">to their</span></span></span><span class="content"> hurt. </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.8.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Then too, I saw the wicked buried&#8212;those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:10 </span><span class="ft">Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts </span><span class="fqa">and are forgotten</span></span></span><span class="content"> in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.8.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.8.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people&#8217;s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.8.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.8.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.8.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.8.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.8.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.8.15"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.8.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth&#8212;people getting no sleep day or night&#8212; </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.8.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.</span></span></div>
      </div>
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