Ecclesiastes 4:8

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

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls.

Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink!

Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.

All those whom the Father gives me will come to me. He who comes to me I will in no way throw out.

For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be,” says Yahweh: “but I will look to this man, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.

Cast your burden on Yahweh and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.

For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his life? Or what will a man give in exchange for his life?

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

Charge those who are rich in this present world that they not be arrogant, nor have their hope set on the uncertainty of riches, but on the living God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy;

for Demas left me, having loved this present world, and went to Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia; and Titus to Dalmatia.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” He who hears, let him say, “Come!” He who is thirsty, let him come. He who desires, let him take the water of life freely.

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.

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

For my iniquities have gone over my head. As a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

Return to your rest, my soul, for Yahweh has dealt bountifully with you.

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

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

As the partridge that sits on eggs which she has not laid, so is he who gets riches, and not by right. In the middle of his days, they will leave him. At his end, he will be a fool.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts.

In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,

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

“I made a covenant with my eyes, how then should I look lustfully at a young woman?

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

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

Sheol, the barren womb; the earth that is not satisfied with water; and the fire that doesn’t say, ‘Enough.’

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

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

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.

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.

The Lord Yahweh has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with words him who is weary. He awakens morning by morning, he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.

Yahweh says, “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, ‘Where is the good way?’ and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’

They come to you as the people come, and they sit before you as my people, and they hear your words, but don’t do them; for with their mouth they show much love, but their heart goes after their gain.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Most certainly I say to you, a rich man will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven with difficulty.

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.

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 Adam was formed first, then Eve.

Let’s fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of entering into his rest.

For what is the hope of the godless, when he is cut off, when God takes away his life?

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.

“Behold, this is the man who didn’t make God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.”

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

Every man also to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor—this is the gift of God.

to whom he said, “This is the resting place. Give rest to weary,” and “This is the refreshing;” yet they would not hear.

to provide for those who mourn in Zion, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahweh, that he may be glorified.

“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and cut out cisterns for themselves: broken cisterns that can’t hold water.

They have sown wheat, and have reaped thorns. They have exhausted themselves, and profit nothing. You will be ashamed of your fruits, because of Yahweh’s fierce anger.”

They covet fields, and seize them; and houses, and take them away: and they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. An arrogant man who doesn’t stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can’t be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.

You foolish ones, didn’t he who made the outside make the inside also?

He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”

for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

The humble shall eat and be satisfied. They shall praise Yahweh who seek after him. Let your hearts live forever.

This is the destiny of those who are foolish, and of those who approve their sayings.

The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.

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 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.

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.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy on men:

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.

He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a dimly burning wick. He will faithfully bring justice.

While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from the sky, saying, “O king Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is spoken: ‘The kingdom has departed from you.

For they sow the wind, and they will reap the whirlwind. He has no standing grain. The stalk will yield no head. If it does yield, strangers will swallow it up.

“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.

and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away.

You husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman, as to the weaker vessel, as also being joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.

Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

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

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

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

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

Woe to those who join house to house, who lay field to field, until there is no room, and you are made to dwell alone in the middle of the land!

What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, isn’t the Father’s, but is the world’s.

Esau said, “I have enough, my brother; let that which you have be yours.”

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

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.

if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

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

The merciful man does good to his own soul, but he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

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

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.

a man to whom God gives riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God gives him no power to eat of it, but an alien eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

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

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.

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),

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.

Why do you spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which doesn’t satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in richness.

When he stands up, his kingdom will be broken, and will be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.

and the cares of this age, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.

“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?’

You lust, and don’t have. You murder and covet, and can’t obtain. You fight and make war. You don’t have, because you don’t ask.