Ecclesiastes 2:14

Your words were found, and I ate them. Your words were to me a joy and the rejoicing of my heart, for I am called by your name, Yahweh, God of Armies.

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?

I said, “Please listen, you heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: Isn’t it for you to know justice?

Jesus therefore said to them, “Yet a little while the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, that darkness doesn’t overtake you. He who walks in the darkness doesn’t know where he is going.

who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness,

There is no memory of the former; neither shall there be any memory of the latter that are to come, among those that shall come after.

All this I have seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his evildoing.

Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

Yahweh says, “Don’t let the wise man glory in his wisdom. Don’t let the mighty man glory in his might. Don’t let the rich man glory in his riches.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your rod, and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, over their streams, and over their pools, and over all their ponds of water, that they may become blood. There will be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’ ”

“ ‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.

a nation of fierce facial expressions, that doesn’t respect the elderly, nor show favor to the young.

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on Yahweh?

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

But man, despite his riches, doesn’t endure. He is like the animals that perish.

The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of pieces of gold and silver.

How sweet are your promises to my taste, more than honey to my mouth!

Therefore I love your commandments more than gold, yes, more than pure gold.

Wisdom is before the face of one who has understanding, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.

A wise man scales the city of the mighty, and brings down the strength of its confidence.

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

All who sat in the council, fastening their eyes on him, saw his face like it was the face of an angel.

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

The earth and all its inhabitants quake. I firmly hold its pillars.

They don’t know, neither do they understand. They walk back and forth in darkness. All the foundations of the earth are shaken.

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

A senseless man doesn’t know, neither does a fool understand this:

Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?

because they hated knowledge, and didn’t choose the fear of Yahweh.

He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity,

The way of the wicked is like darkness. They don’t know what they stumble over.

Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.

A man’s steps are from Yahweh; how then can man understand his way?

Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.

There is a vanity which is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked. Again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

For all this I laid to my heart, even to explore all this: that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God; whether it is love or hatred, man doesn’t know it; all is before them.

For the living know that they will die, but the dead don’t know anything, neither do they have any more a reward; for their memory is forgotten.

Wisdom is better than weapons of war; but one sinner destroys much good.

For the vineyard of Yahweh of Armies is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for justice, but, behold, oppression; for righteousness, but, behold, a cry of distress.

Therefore justice is far from us, and righteousness doesn’t overtake us. We look for light, but see darkness; for brightness, but we walk in obscurity.

He said to me, “Son of man, cause your belly to eat, and fill your bowels with this scroll that I give you.” Then I ate it; and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.

Now we call the proud happy; yes, those who work wickedness are built up; yes, they tempt God, and escape.’

“But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’

This is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their works were evil.

Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

However God’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let every one who names the name of the Lord depart from unrighteousness.”

But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer.

He who says he is in the light and hates his brother is in the darkness even until now.

If a man says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn’t love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?

“Why do the wicked live, become old, yes, and grow mighty in power?

I haven’t gone back from the commandment of his lips. I have treasured up the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.

For I know that you will bring me to death, To the house appointed for all living.

A man who has riches without understanding, is like the animals that perish.

Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and don’t call on God?

For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

I was so senseless and ignorant. I was a brute beast before you.

Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

He sent darkness, and made it dark. They didn’t rebel against his words.

Unless Yahweh builds the house, they who build it labor in vain. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.

For wisdom is better than rubies. All the things that may be desired can’t be compared to it.

My fruit is better than gold, yes, than fine gold, my yield than choice silver.

A scoffer seeks wisdom, and doesn’t find it, but knowledge comes easily to a discerning person.

“Surely I am the most ignorant man, and don’t have a man’s understanding.

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”

For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity.

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

So I saw the wicked buried. Indeed they came also from holiness. They went and were forgotten in the city where they did this. This also is vanity.

I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.

Flight will perish from the swift; and the strong won’t strengthen his force; neither shall the mighty deliver himself;

But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.

When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they went, they were cleansed.

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.”

Don’t you know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run like that, that you may win.

Therefore don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

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

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by his good conduct that his deeds are done in gentleness of wisdom.

But he who hates his brother is in the darkness, and walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.”

They are more to be desired than gold, yes, than much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and the extract of the honeycomb.

The wisdom of the prudent is to think about his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory forever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!

Yes, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet fails to enjoy good, don’t all go to one place?

It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men, and the living should take this to heart.

Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed.

Whoever keeps the commandment shall not come to harm, and his wise heart will know the time and procedure.

Then I said, “Wisdom is better than strength.” Nevertheless the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard.

But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”