Ecclesiastes 2:19

Trust in Yahweh with all your heart, and don’t lean on your own understanding.

Finally, brothers, whatever things are true, whatever things are honorable, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report: if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.

John answered, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given him from heaven.

I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?

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.

Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw near, when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them;”

This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

For the creation was subjected to vanity, not of its own will, but because of him who subjected it, in hope

He who becomes the father of a fool grieves. The father of a fool has no joy.

Whoever loves wisdom brings joy to his father; but a companion of prostitutes squanders his wealth.

For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

What profit has he who works in that in which he labors?

I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God has done it, that men should fear before him.

This also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go. And what profit does he have who labors for the wind?

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher. “All is vanity!”

This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.

Yes, Yahweh will give that which is good. Our land will yield its increase.

Man is like a breath. His days are like a shadow that passes away.

The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel:

A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

A foolish son brings grief to his father, and bitterness to her who bore him.

Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart, then I can answer my tormentor.

The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.

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.

Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

“For I, Yahweh, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.

While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become children of light.” Jesus said these things, and he departed and hid himself from them.

Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil. Cling to that which is good.

For you were once darkness, but are now light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

You are all children of light and children of the day. We don’t belong to the night, nor to darkness,

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.

You shall not pervert justice. You shall not show partiality. You shall not take a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and perverts the words of the righteous.

You shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside Yahweh your God’s altar, which you shall make for yourselves.

Now when all this was finished, all Israel who were present went out to the cities of Judah, and broke the pillars in pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, also in Ephraim and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.

Beware lest you say, ‘We have found wisdom. God may refute him, not man;’

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.

For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he spends like a shadow? For who can tell a man what will be after him under the sun?

For he doesn’t know that which will be; for who can tell him how it will be?

A fool also multiplies words. Man doesn’t know what will be; and that which will be after him, who can tell him?

Even to old age I am he, and even to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear. Yes, I will carry, and will deliver.

He reveals the deep and secret things. He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with him.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Jesus answered him, “Most certainly, I tell you, unless one is born anew, he can’t see God’s Kingdom.”

not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God,

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Finally, all of you be like-minded, compassionate, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, courteous,

Everyone who has this hope set on him purifies himself, even as he is pure.

and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the stars of the sky, which I have not commanded,

Can his armies be counted? On whom does his light not arise?

he who doesn’t lend out his money for usury, nor take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be shaken.

from men by your hand, Yahweh, from men of the world, whose portion is in this life. You fill the belly of your cherished ones. Your sons have plenty, and they store up wealth for their children.

But you are the same. Your years will have no end.

A wise son listens to his father’s instruction, but a scoffer doesn’t listen to rebuke.

A foolish son is the calamity of his father. A wife’s quarrels are a continual dripping.

House and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from Yahweh.

I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from following them, to do them good. I will put my fear in their hearts, that they may not depart from me.

Why do you boast in the valleys, your flowing valley, backsliding daughter? You trusted in her treasures, saying, ‘Who will come to me?’

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

Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry, and are given in marriage.

Don’t work for the food which perishes, but for the food which remains to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For God the Father has sealed him.”

For who makes you different? And what do you have that you didn’t receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently,

Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.

They arose and took away the altars that were in Jerusalem, and they took away all the altars for incense and threw them into the brook Kidron.

The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son makes a glad father; but a foolish son brings grief to his mother.

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

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.

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.

Therefore I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who can bring him to see what will be after him?

There was no end of all the people, even of all them over whom he was—yet those who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

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

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.

His sons didn’t walk in his ways, but turned away after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.

and spoke to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.”

For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down; and he raised up altars for the Baals, made Asheroth, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them.

The father of the righteous has great joy. Whoever fathers a wise child delights in him.

What does man gain from all his labor in which he labors under the sun?

I have also seen wisdom under the sun in this way, and it seemed great to me.

Yes, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all; but let him remember the days of darkness, for they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.

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.

“His lord commended the dishonest manager because he had done wisely, for the children of this world are, in their own generation, wiser than the children of the light.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.

But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.