Ecclesiastes 2:20

“Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish.”

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless.

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

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

He said, “Peace be to you. Don’t be afraid. Your God, and the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks. I received your money.” He brought Simeon out to them.

Then she said, “Let me find favor in your sight, my lord, because you have comforted me, and because you have spoken kindly to your servant, though I am not as one of your servants.”

Lord, I beg you, let your ear be attentive now to the prayer of your servant, and to the prayer of your servants, who delight to fear your name; and please prosper your servant today, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” Now I was cup bearer to the king.

For Yahweh is good. His loving kindness endures forever, his faithfulness to all generations.

Let your loving kindness also come to me, Yahweh, your salvation, according to your word.

When a man’s ways please Yahweh, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under the sky. It is a heavy burden that God has given to the sons of men to be afflicted with.

I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but cheer up! I have overcome the world.”

When he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, “The Lord’s will be done.”

because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News

who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Abraham called the name of that place “Yahweh Will Provide”. As it is said to this day, “On Yahweh’s mountain, it will be provided.”

He said, “Yahweh, the God of my master Abraham, please give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

May God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a company of peoples,

The sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard it. The men were grieved, and they were very angry, because he had done folly in Israel in lying with Jacob’s daughter, a thing ought not to be done.

God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.

As her soul was departing (for she died), she named him Benoni, but his father named him Benjamin.

But Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

But Jacob didn’t send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with his brothers; for he said, “Lest perhaps harm happen to him.”

He turned himself away from them, and wept. Then he returned to them, and spoke to them, and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their eyes.

Jacob, their father, said to them, “You have bereaved me of my children! Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin away. All these things are against me.”

Their father, Israel, said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take from the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry down a present for the man, a little balm, a little honey, spices and myrrh, nuts, and almonds;

May God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”

He searched, beginning with the oldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol.’

Get up! Sanctify the people, and say, ‘Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, “There is a devoted thing among you, Israel. You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted thing from among you.”

She said to them, “Don’t call me Naomi. Call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.

She answered him, “No, my brother, do not force me! For no such thing ought to be done in Israel. Don’t you do this folly.

Now therefore, Tattenai, governor beyond the River, Shetharbozenai, and your companions the Apharsachites, who are beyond the River, you must stay far from there.

Blessed be Yahweh, the God of our fathers, who has put such a thing as this in the king’s heart, to beautify Yahweh’s house which is in Jerusalem;

and has extended loving kindness to me before the king and his counselors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. I was strengthened according to Yahweh my God’s hand on me, and I gathered together chief men out of Israel to go up with me.

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.

Show us your loving kindness, Yahweh. Grant us your salvation.

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

so as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

Let a bear robbed of her cubs meet a man, rather than a fool in his folly.

The king’s heart is in Yahweh’s hand like the watercourses. He turns it wherever he desires.

Turn your ear, and listen to the words of the wise. Apply your heart to my teaching.

As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.

Many seek the ruler’s favor, but a man’s justice comes from Yahweh.

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.

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.

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 there are many words that create vanity. What does that profit man?

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.

“Behold, I have found this,” says the Preacher, “to one another, to find out the scheme

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.

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),

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.

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.

Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your life of vanity, which he has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity, for that is your portion in life, and in your labor in which you labor under the sun.

Sing, heavens, and be joyful, earth! Break out into singing, mountains, for Yahweh has comforted his people, and will have compassion on his afflicted.

Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s sake.

covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness.

His mercy is for generations of generations on those who fear him.

That which fell among the thorns, these are those who have heard, and as they go on their way they are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

“So be careful, or your hearts will be loaded down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that day will come on you suddenly.

They will put you out of the synagogues. Yes, the time comes that whoever kills you will think that he offers service to God.

Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

and delivered him out of all his afflictions, and gave him favor and wisdom before Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He made him governor over Egypt and all his house.

strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that through many afflictions we must enter into God’s Kingdom.

Again, Isaiah says, “There will be the root of Jesse, he who arises to rule over the Gentiles; in him the Gentiles will hope.”

If we have only hoped in Christ in this life, we are of all men most pitiable.

remembering without ceasing your work of faith and labor of love and perseverance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, before our God and Father.

to Timothy, my true child in faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

However, for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might display all his patience for an example of those who were going to believe in him for eternal life.

For this cause I also suffer these things. Yet I am not ashamed, for I know him whom I have believed, and I am persuaded that he is able to guard that which I have committed to him against that day.

No soldier on duty entangles himself in the affairs of life, that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier.

to Titus, my true child according to a common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.

but he was rebuked for his own disobedience. A mute donkey spoke with a man’s voice and stopped the madness of the prophet.

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.

I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write, ‘Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’ ” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors; for their works follow with them.”