Ecclesiastes 1:13

Only be careful, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes saw, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; but make them known to your children and your children’s children—

A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the wealth of the sinner is stored for the righteous.

They sang the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God, the Almighty! Righteous and true are your ways, you King of the nations.

“Man, who is born of a woman, is of few days, and full of trouble.

You hide your face; they are troubled. You take away their breath; they die and return to the dust.

I have seen the burden which God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

but man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

“Surely every man walks like a shadow. Surely they busy themselves in vain. He heaps up, and doesn’t know who shall gather.

I am yours. Save me, for I have sought your precepts.

I will give thanks to you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful. My soul knows that very well.

When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; and a man’s eyes are never satisfied.

For in much wisdom is much grief; and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

Until now, you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full.

but his delight is in Yahweh’s law. On his law he meditates day and night.

For he sees that wise men die; likewise the fool and the senseless perish, and leave their wealth to others.

How great are your works, Yahweh! Your thoughts are very deep.

For he knows how we are made. He remembers that we are dust.

Man goes out to his work, to his labor until the evening.

Yahweh, how many are your works! In wisdom, you have made them all. The earth is full of your riches.

Blessed are those who keep his statutes, who seek him with their whole heart.

I remember the days of old. I meditate on all your doings. I contemplate the work of your hands.

It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling.

I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and behold, all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he who loves abundance, with increase: this also is vanity.

‘These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.

Therefore as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; so death passed to all men, because all sinned.

The first man is of the earth, made of dust. The second man is the Lord from heaven.

Inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this, judgment,

promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for a man is brought into bondage by whoever overcomes him.

You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

All the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, then he died.

Abraham answered, “See now, I have taken it on myself to speak to the Lord, although I am dust and ashes.

Jacob heard Laban’s sons’ words, saying, “Jacob has taken away all that was our father’s. He has obtained all this wealth from that which was our father’s.”

You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.

Let darkness and the shadow of death claim it for their own. Let a cloud dwell on it. Let all that makes black the day terrify it.

How much more, those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the moth!

Remember, I beg you, that you have fashioned me as clay. Will you bring me into dust again?

he may prepare it, but the just will put it on, and the innocent will divide the silver.

Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

all flesh would perish together, and man would turn again to dust.

Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?

When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have ordained;

You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”

So teach us to count our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Whoever is wise will pay attention to these things. They will consider the loving kindnesses of Yahweh.

Establish my footsteps in your word. Don’t let any iniquity have dominion over me.

His spirit departs, and he returns to the earth. In that very day, his thoughts perish.

He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread, but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

The heart of one who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.

Buy the truth, and don’t sell it. Get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.

He who increases his wealth by excessive interest gathers it for one who has pity on the poor.

All things are full of weariness beyond uttering. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then, do I labor and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.

This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one event to all: yes also, the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness; and the end of his talk is mischievous madness.

Then the presidents and the local governors sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion or fault, because he was faithful. There wasn’t any error or fault found in him.

“You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.

You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”

But he who looks into the perfect law of freedom and continues, not being a hearer who forgets, but a doer of the work, this man will be blessed in what he does.

These are those who cause divisions and are sensual, not having the Spirit.

Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

But there is a spirit in man, and the Spirit of the Almighty gives them understanding.

I will walk in liberty, for I have sought your precepts.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones.

My son, don’t forget my teaching; but let your heart keep my commandments:

He taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.

He who goes about as a tale-bearer reveals secrets; therefore don’t keep company with him who opens wide his lips.

so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul. If you have found it, then there will be a reward: Your hope will not be cut off.

All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.

I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.

When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that is done on the earth (even though eyes see no sleep day or night),

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good.

For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: “If anyone is not willing to work, don’t let him eat.”

Behold, an old man came from his work out of the field at evening. Now the man was from the hill country of Ephraim, and he lived in Gibeah; but the men of the place were Benjamites.

behold, I have done according to your word. Behold, I have given you a wise and understanding heart; so that there has been no one like you before you, and after you none will arise like you.

Yahweh’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them.

Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.

The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

My son, give me your heart; and let your eyes keep in my ways.

I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

All this I have seen, and applied my mind to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man has power over another to his hurt.

Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Be diligent in these things. Give yourself wholly to them, that your progress may be revealed to all.