Ecclesiastes 8:9

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

“Because of the oppression of the weak and because of the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says Yahweh; “I will set him in safety from those who malign him.”

My son, pay attention to my wisdom. Turn your ear to my understanding,

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.

So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

Yahweh said to Moses, “When you go back into Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your hand, but I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

Sihon would not allow Israel to pass through his border, but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out against Israel into the wilderness, and came to Jahaz. He fought against Israel.

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.

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

You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”

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.

The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone.

So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about from Yahweh, that he might establish his word, which Yahweh spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

Man sets an end to darkness, and searches out, to the furthest bound, the stones of obscurity and of thick darkness.

He led them safely, so that they weren’t afraid, but the sea overwhelmed their enemies.

Don’t envy the man of violence. Choose none of his ways.

If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this,” doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also was a chasing after wind.

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.

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.

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.

If you see the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in a district, don’t marvel at the matter, for one official is eyed by a higher one, and there are officials over them.

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

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

You went out for the salvation of your people, for the salvation of your anointed. You crushed the head of the land of wickedness. You stripped them head to foot.

So then, he has mercy on whom he desires, and he hardens whom he desires.

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.

Now, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. Moreover I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them.

“You shall not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits.

He doesn’t respect the persons of princes, nor respect the rich more than the poor; for they all are the work of his hands.

Rest in Yahweh, and wait patiently for him. Don’t fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who makes wicked plots happen.

Your way was through the sea; your paths through the great waters. Your footsteps were not known.

God presides in the great assembly. He judges among the gods.

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

I will walk in liberty, for I have sought your precepts.

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.

but overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea; for his loving kindness endures forever:

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.

Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

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.

Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.

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.

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

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.

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

They will bring out all your wives and your children to the Chaldeans. You won’t escape out of their hand, but will be taken by the hand of the king of Babylon. You will cause this city to be burned with fire.’ ”

Then the king of Babylon killed Zedekiah’s sons in Riblah before his eyes. The king of Babylon also killed all the nobles of Judah.

Moreover he put out Zedekiah’s eyes and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.

The king of Babylon killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. He also killed all the princes of Judah in Riblah.

You will give them hardness of heart, your curse to them.

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.

But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God;

By faith, they passed through the Red Sea as on dry land. When the Egyptians tried to do so, they were swallowed up.

Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he didn’t listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.

Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he didn’t even take this to heart.

Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, but Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he didn’t let the children of Israel go out of his land.

The waters returned, and covered the chariots and the horsemen, even all Pharaoh’s army that went in after them into the sea. There remained not so much as one of them.

But Sihon king of Heshbon would not let us pass by him; for Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate, that he might deliver him into your hand, as it is today.

and what he did to the army of Egypt, to their horses, and to their chariots; how he made the water of the Red Sea to overflow them as they pursued you, and how Yahweh has destroyed them to this day;

There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who didn’t go out after Israel. They left the city open, and pursued Israel.

For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.

The Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and they brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of bronze; and he ground at the mill in the prison.

They killed Zedekiah’s sons before his eyes, then put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him in fetters, and carried him to Babylon.

the Jews gathered themselves together in their cities throughout all the provinces of the King Ahasuerus, to lay hands on those who wanted to harm them. No one could withstand them, because the fear of them had fallen on all the people.

because God has deprived her of wisdom, neither has he imparted to her understanding.

Hold them guilty, God. Let them fall by their own counsels. Thrust them out in the multitude of their transgressions, for they have rebelled against you.

There is no king saved by the multitude of an army. A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.

He turned their heart to hate his people, to conspire against his servants.

Don’t incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don’t let me eat of their delicacies.

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

A man who isolates himself pursues selfishness, and defies all sound judgment.

The heart of the discerning gets knowledge. The ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

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

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

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

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.

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),

Furthermore, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.

Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.”

You won’t escape out of his hand, but will surely be taken and delivered into his hand. Your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he will speak with you mouth to mouth. You will go to Babylon.” ’

He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”

Now these were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.