Ecclesiastes 6:1

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

Lot went out, and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were pledged to marry his daughters, and said, “Get up! Get out of this place, for Yahweh will destroy the city!” But he seemed to his sons-in-law to be joking.

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

He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative Lot and his goods, and the women also, and the other people.

But Lot’s wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.

So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners.

For the backsliding of the simple will kill them. The careless ease of fools will destroy them.

Riches don’t profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death.

There is one who is alone, and he has neither son nor brother. There is no end to all of his labor, neither are his eyes satisfied with wealth. “For whom then, do I labor and deprive my soul of enjoyment?” This also is vanity. Yes, it is a miserable business.

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.

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),

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

Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh’s wrath, but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.

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

Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his cattle, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had; and they brought them up to the valley of Achor.

When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan.

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

Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

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.

Then I returned and saw all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold, the tears of those who were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.

Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun.

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?

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.

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.

There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, the sort of error which proceeds from the ruler.

In that day, men shall cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which have been made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats,

Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor. If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone, I restore four times as much.”

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.