Ecclesiastes 2:1

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you.

Don’t boast about tomorrow; for you don’t know what a day may bring.

One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh’s house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh’s beauty, and to inquire in his temple.

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

The wicked, in the pride of his face, has no room in his thoughts for God.

Seek Yahweh and his strength. Seek his face forever more.

Behold, that which I have seen to be good and proper is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labor, in which he labors under the sun, all the days of his life which God has given him; for this is his portion.

Go your way—eat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart; for God has already accepted your works.

For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.

We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and some fell there. Those who remained fled to the hills.

Samson said to them, “Let me tell you a riddle now. If you can tell me the answer within the seven days of the feast, and find it out, then I will give you thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothing;

He said, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, even now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’ ”

Though while he lived he blessed his soul— and men praise you when you do well for yourself—

Why have you broken down its walls, so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?

I sought your favor with my whole heart. Be merciful to me according to your word.

Then I commended mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be joyful: for that will accompany him in his labor all the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

Seek Yahweh while he may be found. Call on him while he is near.

Yahweh is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.

Behold, isn’t it of Yahweh of Armies that the peoples labor for the fire, and the nations weary themselves for vanity?

I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, and be merry.” ’

Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, everyone who commits sin is the bondservant of sin.

But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father commanded me, even so I do. Arise, let’s go from here.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross.

You also once walked in those, when you lived in them;

But she who gives herself to pleasure is dead while she lives.

though he was a Son, yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered.

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

They didn’t know that Joseph understood them; for there was an interpreter between them.

He gave each one of them changes of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing.

Mordecai went out of the presence of the king in royal clothing of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a robe of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted and was glad.

if my step has turned out of the way, if my heart walked after my eyes, if any defilement has stuck to my hands,

The wicked shall be turned back to Sheol, even all the nations that forget God.

They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.

This is the generation of those who seek Him, who seek your face—even Jacob.

Whatever my eyes desired, I didn’t keep from them. I didn’t withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.

For what advantage has the wise more than the fool? What has the poor man, that knows how to walk before the living?

A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things.

Your covenant with death shall be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol shall not stand. When the overflowing scourge passes through, then you will be trampled down by it.

“Come,” say they, “I will get wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and tomorrow will be as today, great beyond measure.”

But you, Yahweh, know me. You see me, and test my heart toward you. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter.

‘Yahweh, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, with which you fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans who besiege you outside the walls; and I will gather them into the middle of this city.

“The Lord has set at nothing all my mighty men within me. He has called a solemn assembly against me to crush my young men. The Lord has trodden the virgin daughter of Judah as in a wine press.

But you, son of man, hear what I tell you. Don’t be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat that which I give you.”

I will lay waste her vines and her fig trees, about which she has said, ‘These are my wages that my lovers have given me; and I will make them a forest,’ and the animals of the field shall eat them.

Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come!

Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off.

“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you.

But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’

He went forward a little, fell on his face, and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from me; nevertheless, not what I desire, but what you desire.”

for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won’t also come into this place of torment.’

They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

He who sent me is with me. The Father hasn’t left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”

If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and remain in his love.

For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don’t find it doing that which is good.

But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.

If I fought with animals at Ephesus for human purposes, what does it profit me? If the dead are not raised, then “let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

“We, being Jews by nature, and not Gentile sinners,

Now the deeds of the flesh are obvious, which are: adultery, sexual immorality, uncleanness, lustfulness,

that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,

You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

For some of these are people who creep into houses and take captive gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,

But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

Let’s therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.

When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket for him, and coated it with tar and with pitch. She put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank.

He also opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity.

He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.

There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his harm.

Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me I will give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

The crown of pride of the drunkards of Ephraim will be trodden under foot.

Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says Yahweh. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don’t know and don’t understand what they say.

Those who ate delicacies are desolate in the streets. Those who were brought up in purple embrace dunghills.

Those who regard lying vanities forsake their own mercy.

Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this together and traveled into a far country. There he wasted his property with riotous living.

Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment, that those who don’t see may see; and that those who see may become blind.”

For being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, they didn’t subject themselves to the righteousness of God.

If therefore the whole assembly is assembled together and all speak with other languages, and unlearned or unbelieving people come in, won’t they say that you are crazy?

However much she glorified herself, and grew wanton, so much give her of torment and mourning. For she says in her heart, ‘I sit a queen, and am no widow, and will in no way see mourning.’

The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who worked the signs in his sight, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

The king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” He departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

He says in his heart, “I shall not be shaken. For generations I shall have no trouble.”

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt. They have done abominable deeds. There is no one who does good.

When you said, “Seek my face,” my heart said to you, “I will seek your face, Yahweh.”

Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

Rejoice, young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth, and walk in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.

Now I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and it will be eaten up. I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled down.

The Lord Yahweh has opened my ear. I was not rebellious. I have not turned back.

Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who adorn yourselves with torches around yourselves, walk in the flame of your fire, and among the torches that you have kindled. You will have this from my hand: you will lie down in sorrow.

“Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.

In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom.

For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow let’s go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.”

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming on you.

You have lived in luxury on the earth, and taken your pleasure. You have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter.