1
Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.
2
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.
3
If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.
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He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap.
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As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.
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In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good.
7
Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun:
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But if a man live many years, and rejoice in them all; yet let him remember the days of darkness; for they shall be many. All that cometh is vanity.
9
Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.
10
Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
1
Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2
While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
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In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
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And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
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Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6
Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
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Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
8
Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
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And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many proverbs.
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The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
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The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd.
12
And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
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Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
14
For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
1
The song of songs, which is Solomon's.
2
Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth: for thy love is better than wine.
3
Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee.
4
Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.
5
I am black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.
6
Look not upon me, because I am black, because the sun hath looked upon me: my mother's children were angry with me; they made me the keeper of the vineyards; but mine own vineyard have I not kept.
7
Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions?
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If thou know not, O thou fairest among women, go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepherds' tents.
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I have compared thee, O my love, to a company of horses in Pharaoh's chariots.
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Thy cheeks are comely with rows of jewels, thy neck with chains of gold.
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We will make thee borders of gold with studs of silver.
12
While the king sitteth at his table, my spikenard sendeth forth the smell thereof.
13
A bundle of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts.
14
My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
15
Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.
16
Behold, thou art fair, my beloved, yea, pleasant: also our bed is green.
17
The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir.
1
I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.
2
As the lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters.
3
As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.
4
He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love.
5
Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples: for I am sick of love.
6
His left hand is under my head, and his right hand doth embrace me.
7
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
8
The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.
9
My beloved is like a roe or a young hart: behold, he standeth behind our wall, he looketh forth at the windows, shewing himself through the lattice.
10
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.
11
For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;
12
The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land;
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The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
14
O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely.
15
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes.
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My beloved is mine, and I am his: he feedeth among the lilies.
17
Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be thou like a roe or a young hart upon the mountains of Bether.
1
By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
2
I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.
3
The watchmen that go about the city found me: to whom I said, Saw ye him whom my soul loveth?
4
It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
5
I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please.
6
Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all powders of the merchant?
7
Behold his bed, which is Solomon's; threescore valiant men are about it, of the valiant of Israel.
8
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night.
9
King Solomon made himself a chariot of the wood of Lebanon.
10
He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with love, for the daughters of Jerusalem.
11
Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his heart.
1
Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,
2
That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.
3
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4
Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6
And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7
For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
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Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
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And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12
That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
13
But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
14
Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
15
Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.
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Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
17
Comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and work.
1
Praise ye the LORD. O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
2
Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise?
3
Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4
Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;
5
That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.
6
We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
31
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
32
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
33
Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.