Ecclesiastes 8 Cross References - LEB

¹ Who is like the sage? Who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, and the hardness of his face is changed. ² Keep the command of the king* _⌊because of your oath to God_⌋.* ³ Do not be terrified of his presence! Go at once and do not delay when a matter is unpleasant, for he can do anything that he desires. ⁴ Since the word of the king is supreme, no one can say to him, "What are you doing?" ⁵ Whoever obeys his command will not suffer disaster. The wise mind knows the proper time and the right procedure. ⁶ For there is a proper time and right procedure for every matter, even though the trouble of man weighs heavy upon him. ⁷ Surely no one knows what will be, so who can tell anyone what will happen? ⁸ Just as no one can control the wind to restrain the wind, so also no one can control the day of his death. Just as no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not deliver the wicked. ⁹ I saw all this as I applied my heart to all the deeds done under the sun: _⌊sometimes those in authority harm others_⌋.* ¹⁰ Meanwhile, I saw the wicked being honorably buried, but those who came and went from the holy place were forgotten in the city, even though they had done so. This also is vanity! ¹¹ Because sentence against an evil deed is not carried out quickly, the heart of _⌊humans_⌋* fills up within them to do evil. ¹² Although the sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will be good for those who fear God—because they fear _⌊his presence_⌋.* ¹³ But it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not prolong their days, like the shadow; because there is no fearing _⌊God's presence_⌋.* ¹⁴ There is a vanity that happens on earth: sometimes the righteous suffer what the wicked deserve, and sometimes the wicked receive what the righteous deserve. I said, "This also is vanity!" ¹⁵ So I recommend enjoyment. For there is nothing better for man under the sun than to eat and to drink and to rejoice. This will accompany him in his toil the days of his life that God gives to him under the sun. ¹⁶ I applied my mind to know wisdom and to understand the business that is done on earth—how neither day nor night one's eyes see sleep. ¹⁷ Then I saw all the work of God—man is not able to discover the work that is done under the sun. Although man may toil in seeking, he cannot find it. Even if a wise man claims that he knows it, he cannot find it.

⁸ And they said to him, "We each dreamed a dream, but there is no one to interpret it." And Joseph said to them, "Do not interpretations belong to God? Please tell them to me."

¹⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I dreamed a dream, but there is none to interpret it. Now, I have heard concerning you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it." ¹⁶ Then Joseph answered Pharaoh saying, "_⌊It is not in my power_⌋;* God will answer concerning the well-being of Pharaoh."

³⁸ Then Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find a man like this in whom is the spirit of God?" ³⁹ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all of this known to you there is no one as discerning and wise as you.

²⁹ _⌊And_⌋* when Moses came down from Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony were in the hand of Moses at his coming down from the mountain; and Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with him. ³⁰ And Aaron and all the _⌊Israelites_⌋* saw Moses, and, _⌊to their amazement_⌋,* the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid of coming near to him.

⁵⁰ _⌊a grim-faced nation_⌋* _⌊who does not show respect_⌋* to the old and the young and does not show pity.

²³ "If there is a messenger beside him, a mediator, one of a thousand,* to declare to a human being his uprightness

⁶ to understand a proverb and an expression, words of wisdom and their riddles.

⁸ Cherish her and she will exalt you; she will honor you if you embrace her. ⁹ She will give a garland for your head; she shall bestow a crown of glory upon you."

²⁴ He who understands sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool, to the end of the earth.*

⁵ The warrior of wisdom is in strength, and a man of knowledge is strong in power.

¹³ I realized that wisdom has an advantage over folly, just as light has an advantage over darkness. ¹⁴ _⌊The wise man can see where he is walking_⌋,* but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that both of them suffer the same fate.

²⁸ But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that will be at the end of days. This is your dream and the visions of your head on your bed. ²⁹ "As for you, king,* your thoughts on your bed _⌊turned to_⌋* what it was that would be _⌊in the future_⌋,* and the revealer of mysteries has made known to you what that would be. ³⁰ And as for me, it is not because of wisdom that is in me more than _⌊any other living person_⌋* that this mystery is revealed to me, but _⌊in order that_⌋* the explanation* may be made known to the king and you will _⌊understand_⌋* the thoughts of your _⌊mind_⌋.*

⁴⁷ The king answered Daniel and said, "_⌊Truly_⌋* your God is the God of gods and the Lord of kings, and he reveals mysteries, for you are able to reveal this mystery."

¹⁸ " 'This is the dream that I, Nebuchadnezzar the king, saw. Now* you, Belteshazzar, declare its explanation, _⌊for_⌋* all of the wise men of my kingdom were not able to make the explanation known to me, but you are able because the spirit of holy gods is in you.' ¹⁹ "Then Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, was distressed _⌊for some time_⌋,* and his thoughts disturbed him. The king answered and he said, 'Belteshazzar, let the dream and its explanation not disturb you.' Belteshazzar answered and said, 'My lord, may the dream and its explanation be for those who hate you and for your enemies.

² And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothing became bright as the light.

¹³ Now when they* saw the boldness of Peter and John, and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were astonished, and recognized them, that they had been with Jesus.

²⁹ And now, Lord, concern yourself with their threats and grant your slaves to speak your message with all boldness,

¹⁵ And as they* looked intently at him, all those who were sitting in the Sanhedrin* saw his face was like the face of an angel.

¹³ things which we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual things to spiritual people.* ¹⁴ But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one. ¹⁶ "For who has known the mind of the Lord; who has advised him?"* But we have the mind of Christ.

¹⁹ and for me, that a word may be given to me at the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

¹⁷ But the Lord helped me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fulfilled and all the Gentiles might hear, and he rescued me from the lion's mouth.

²⁰ recognizing this above all, that every prophecy of scripture does not come about from one's own interpretation,

¹¹ the oath of Yahweh will be between the two of them concerning whether or not he has reached out his hand to his neighbor's possession, and its owner will accept this, and he will not make restitution.

⁷ But the king spared Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, because of the sworn oath of Yahweh which was between them, between David and Jonathan the son of Saul.

⁴³ Why have you not kept the oath of Yahweh and the command which I commanded you?"

²⁴ And all the officials and mighty warriors, and also all the sons of King David, _⌊pledged allegiance to_⌋* King Solomon.

²¹ Fear Yahweh, my son, and the king; with those who change, do not associate.

¹³ And he took from the seed of the kingship, and he made with him a covenant, and _⌊he brought him under oath_⌋,* and he took the rulers of the land, ¹⁴ so that they would be a humble kingdom and not lift itself up to keep his covenant _⌊in order for it to stand_⌋.* ¹⁵ But he rebelled against him by sending his messengers to Egypt to give to him horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Will he escape doing these things, and can he break the covenant and escape? ¹⁶ _⌊As I live_⌋,'* _⌊declares_⌋* the Lord Yahweh, '_⌊surely_⌋* in the place of the king _⌊who made_⌋* him king, who despised his oath and who broke his covenant with him—in the midst of Babylon he will die. ¹⁷ And not with a great army and with a great crowd will Pharaoh work* with him in the war, at the pouring out of a siege ramp and the building of siege works to destroy many lives. ¹⁸ And he despised the oath to break covenant. And, look, he gave his hand in pledge, and yet he did all of these things. He will not escape.' ¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: '_⌊As I live_⌋,* _⌊surely_⌋* my oath that he despised and my covenant that he broke I will return upon his head. ²⁰ And I will spread my net over him, and he will be caught in my hunting net, and I will bring him to Babylon, and I will enter into judgment with him there about his infidelity that he displayed against me.

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. ² So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance which is from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a cause of terror for a good deed, but for bad conduct. So do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from it, ⁴ for it is God's servant to you for what is good. But if you do what is bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God's servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does what is bad. ⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience.

¹ Remind them to be subject to the rulers and to the authorities, to obey, to be prepared for every good work,

¹³ Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king* as having supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵ For the will of God is as follows: by* doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free persons, and not using your* freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. ¹⁷ Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.*

⁵⁰ Adonijah was afraid because of Solomon, and he got up and went and grasped the horns of the altar. ⁵¹ Solomon was told, "Look, Adonijah is afraid of King Solomon, and he has grasped the horns of the altar, saying, 'Let King Solomon swear to me _⌊first_⌋* that he will surely not kill his servant with the sword!'" ⁵² Solomon said, "If he is a son of noble character, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, but if evil is found in him, then he will die."

²¹ Then she said, "Let Abishag the Shunnamite be given to Adonijah your brother as wife." ²² King Solomon answered and said to his mother, "Why are you asking Abishag the Shunnamite for Adonijah? Ask for him also the kingdom, for he is my brother, older than I; and ask for him also Abiathar the priest, and for Joab the son of Zeruiah." ²³ Then King Solomon swore by Yahweh, saying, "Thus may God do to me and thus may he add, if Adonijah hasn't spoken this thing at the expense of his life. ²⁴ So then, _⌊as Yahweh lives_⌋,* who has established me and seated me on the throne of my father David and who has established for me a dynasty as he promised, then surely Adonijah will be put to death today."

²⁹ He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but the hasty of spirit* exalts folly.

¹⁴ The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but one who is wise will appease* it. ¹⁵ In the light of the face of the king there is life, and his favor is like a cloud of spring rain.

³¹ a strutting rooster or he-goat, and a king whose army is with him.

⁴ If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your post, for calmness can undo great offenses.

⁴ because _⌊I know_⌋* that you are obstinate, and your neck an iron sinew, and your forehead bronze.

¹⁶ "Concerning the word that you have spoken to us in the name of Yahweh, we are not going to listen to you! ¹⁷ But certainly we will do _⌊everything_⌋* that went out from our mouths,* to make smoke offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out to her libations just as we did, we, and our ancestors,* our kings, and our officials, in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, for then _⌊we had enough to eat_⌋,* and we were well-off, and we did not see disaster.

³⁵ And all the dwellers of the earth are regarded as nothing, and he does _⌊according to_⌋* his desire in the host of heaven and among the dwellers of earth, and there is not one who can hold back his hand, or _⌊ask him_⌋,* 'What are you doing?'

¹⁹ And because of the greatness that he gave to him, all the peoples, the nations and languages trembled and feared before him; whomever he wanted he killed, and whomever he wanted he let live, and whomever he wanted he honored, and whomever he wanted he humbled.

⁸ And Peter said to her, "Tell me whether you both* were paid this much for the piece of land." And she said, "Yes, this much." ⁹ So Peter said to her, "How is it that it was agreed by you two* to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out!"

²⁵ King Solomon sent through the hand of Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, so he struck him, and he died.

²⁹ It was told to King Solomon that Joab had fled to the tent of Yahweh and was beside the altar. So Solomon sent word to Benaiah son of Jehoiada, saying, "Go and fall upon him." ³⁰ So Benaiah went to the tent of Yahweh, and he said to him, "Thus says the king: 'Come out.'" And he said, "No, for I want to die here." So Benaiah returned a word to the king, saying, "Thus Joab spoke, and thus he answered me." ³¹ Then the king said to him, "Do as he spoke; fall upon him and bury him, and so you shall remove the innocent blood that Joab shed from on me and from on the house of my father. ³² Yahweh will return his blood on his head, because he fell upon two men, more righteous and better than he, and he killed them with the sword, even though my father did not know it; namely Abner son of Ner, commander of the army of Israel, and Amasa son of Jether, commander of the army of Judah. ³³ And their blood will return on the head of Joab and on the head of his descendants forever, but for David and his descendants and for his house and his throne, there will be peace forever from Yahweh." ³⁴ So Benaiah son of Jehoiada went up, and he fell on him and killed him, and he was buried in his house in the wilderness.

⁴⁶ Then the king commanded Benaiah son of Jehoiada, and he went out and fell upon him, and he died. So the kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.

¹² _⌊If_⌋* he would snatch away, who could turn him? Who could say to him, 'What are you doing?'

¹² "Look, in this you are not right—I will answer you: Indeed, God is greater than a human being. ¹³ Why do you contend against him, that he will not answer all a person's words?

¹⁸ the one who says to a king, 'You worthless man,' to noblemen, 'You wicked man,' ¹⁹ who _⌊shows no partiality to officials_⌋* and who _⌊does not take note of the noble more than of the insignificant_⌋,* for all of them are the work of his hands?

¹² The rage of a king growls like a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

² Roaring like the lion is the dreaded anger of a king; he who provokes him forfeits his life.*

¹⁵ Now if you are ready so that _⌊when_⌋* you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the harp and the drum and all kinds of music, you fall down and you worship the statue that I have made, that will be good. But if you do not worship it, _⌊immediately_⌋* you will be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire, and _⌊who is the god_⌋* who* will rescue you from my hands?"

⁴ "And I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after these things do not have anything more to do. ⁵ But I will show you whom you should fear: fear the one who has authority, after the killing, to throw you* into hell! Yes, I tell you, fear this one!

²⁰ On the contrary, O man, who are you who answers back to God? Will what is molded say to the one who molded it, "Why did you make me like this"?*

¹ Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except by God, and those that exist are put in place by God. ² So then, the one who resists authority resists the ordinance which is from God, and those who resist will receive condemnation on themselves. ³ For rulers are not a cause of terror for a good deed, but for bad conduct. So do you want not to be afraid of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from it, ⁴ for it is God's servant to you for what is good. But if you do what is bad, be afraid, because it does not bear the sword to no purpose. For it is God's servant, the one who avenges for punishment on the one who does what is bad.

¹⁷ But the midwives feared God, and they did not do as the king of Egypt had said to them. They let the boys live.

²⁰ And God did the midwives good, and the Israelite people became many and were very numerous. ²¹ _⌊And so_⌋* because the midwives feared God, he gave them _⌊families_⌋.*

³² And from the men of Issachar: _⌊men who were skilled in understanding the times_⌋* to know what Israel should do. Their chiefs were two hundred, and all their kinsmen were under their command.

⁶ Then I would not be ashamed when I look to all your commands.

¹⁴ _⌊The wise man can see where he is walking_⌋,* but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that both of them suffer the same fate.

² Keep the command of the king* _⌊because of your oath to God_⌋.*

² The heart of the wise inclines to his right, but the heart of the fool inclines to his left.

¹¹ Ephraim is oppressed, crushed in judgment, because he was determined to go after filth.*

⁵⁶ Hypocrites! You know how to evaluate the appearance of the earth and the sky, but how is it you do not know how to evaluate this present time? ⁵⁷ And why do you not also judge for yourselves what is right?

²⁵ So he said to them, "Well then, give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God!"

¹⁹ But Peter and John answered and* said to them, "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than God, you decide!

²⁹ But Peter and the apostles answered and* said, "It is necessary to obey God rather than men!

⁵ Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. ⁶ For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities* are servants of God, busily engaged in this very thing. ⁷ Pay to everyone what is owed: pay taxes to whom taxes are due; pay customs duties to whom customs duties are due; pay respect to whom respect is due; pay honor to whom honor is due.*

¹⁴ But the natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he is not able to understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. ¹⁵ Now the spiritual person discerns all things, but he himself is judged by no one.

⁹ And this I pray: that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ so that you may approve what is superior, in order that you may be sincere and blameless in* the day of Christ,

⁹ Because of this also we, from the day we heard about it,* did not cease praying for you, and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual insight,

¹⁴ But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have trained their faculties for the distinguishing of both good and evil.

¹³ And who is the one who will harm you if you are a zealous adherent for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you might suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their intimidation or be disturbed,*

¹ For everything there is an appointed time, a time for every matter under heaven:

¹¹ He has made everything suitable in its time. He also has put _⌊the past_⌋* in their hearts, yet no one can grasp what God does from the beginning to the end.

¹⁷ So I said _⌊to myself_⌋,* "God will surely judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed* a time of judgment for every deed and every work."

¹³ Consider the work of God. For who is able to make straight what he made crooked? ¹⁴ In the day of prosperity, rejoice! But in the day of adversity, consider! For God made one in place of another so that mortals cannot find out what will happen _⌊in the future_⌋.*

⁹ Rejoice, O young man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth! Follow the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes— but know that God will bring you into judgment for all these things.

¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him. ¹² My people—children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. My people, your leaders are misleading you, and they confuse the course of your paths. ¹³ Yahweh takes his stand to conduct a legal case and takes his stand to judge the peoples. ¹⁴ Yahweh enters into judgment with the elders of his people and its princes. "And you! You have devoured the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses!

¹² And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, called on that day
for weeping and mourning, and for baldness and girding _⌊with_⌋* sackcloth. ¹³ But look! Joy and gladness, the killing of oxen* and the slaughtering of sheep, the eating of meat and the drinking of wine! "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" ¹⁴ And it was revealed in my ears by Yahweh of hosts:
"Surely this sin will not be atoned for you until you die!" says the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

²⁵ when once the master of the house has gotten up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, 'Lord, open the door* for us!' And he will answer and* say to you, 'I do not know where you are from!'

²⁶ And just as it was in the days of Noah, so also it will be in the days of the Son of Man— ²⁷ they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. ²⁸ Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating, they were drinking, they were buying, they were selling, they were planting, they were building. ²⁹ But on the day that Lot went out from Sodom, it rained fire and sulphur from heaven and destroyed them all. ³⁰ It will be _⌊just the same_⌋* on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

⁴² saying, "If you had known on this day—even you—the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. ⁴³ For days will come upon you and your enemies will put up an embankment* against you, and will surround you and press you hard from all directions. ⁴⁴ And they will raze you to the ground, you and your children within you, and will not leave a stone upon a stone within you, _⌊because_⌋* you did not recognize the time of your visitation."

⁷ Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
"Today, if you hear his voice, ⁸ do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness, ⁹ where your fathers tested me by trial and saw my works ¹⁰ for forty years. Therefore I was angry with this generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they do not know my ways.' ¹¹ As I swore in my anger, '_⌊They will never enter_⌋* into my rest.'"*

²² For suddenly their disaster will come, and the ruin of _⌊both of them_⌋,* who knows?

¹ A man who is reproved, being stubborn of neck— suddenly he will be broken, and there will not be healing.

²² So I concluded that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy the fruit of his labor, for this is his lot in life. _⌊For no one knows what will happen in the future._⌋*

¹² For who knows what is good for a man in his life during the few days of his fleeting life, which are fleeting as a shadow? For who can tell anyone what will happen _⌊in the future_⌋* under the sun?

¹² For man does not know his time. Just as fish are caught in a cruel net and like birds who are seized in a snare, so also _⌊humans_⌋* are ensnared at a cruel time when it falls suddenly upon them.

¹⁴ The fool _⌊talks too much_⌋,* for no one knows what will be. Who can tell anyone what will happen _⌊in the future_⌋?*

⁴⁴ For this reason you also must be ready, because the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not think he will come.*

⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know,

⁶ But in the middle of the night there was a shout, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' ⁷ Then all those virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ And the foolish ones said to the wise ones, 'Give us some of your olive oil, because our lamps are going out!' ⁹ But the wise ones answered saying, "Certainly there will never be enough for us and for you! Go instead to those who sell olive oil* and buy some* for yourselves.' ¹⁰ But while* they had gone away to buy it* the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding celebration, and the door was shut. ¹¹ And later the other virgins came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open the door* for us!' ¹² But he answered and* said, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you!' ¹³ Therefore be on the alert, because you do not know the day or the hour!

¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need of anything to be written to you, ² for you yourselves well know that the day of the Lord is coming in the same way as a thief in the night. ³ Whenever they say "Peace and security," then sudden destruction will overtake them like the birth pains of _⌊a pregnant woman_⌋*, and they will not possibly escape.

¹ "If you go out to war against your enemies and you see a horse and a chariot, _⌊an army_⌋* larger that you, you shall not be afraid because of them; for Yahweh your God is with you, the one who brought you from the land of Egypt. ² _⌊And then_⌋* when you approach the battle, then the priest shall come near and speak to the troops. ³ And he shall say to them, 'Hear, Israel, you are near _⌊today_⌋* to the battle against your enemies; _⌊do not lose heart_⌋;* you shall not be afraid, and you shall not panic, and you shall not be terrified _⌊because of them_⌋,* ⁴ for Yahweh your God is going with you to fight for you against your enemies to help you.' ⁵ And the officials shall speak to the troops, _⌊saying_⌋,* 'Who is the man who has built a new house and has not dedicated it? Let him go and return to this house, so that he does not die in battle and _⌊another man_⌋* dedicates it. ⁶ And who is the man that has planted a vineyard and has not enjoyed it? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and _⌊another man_⌋* enjoys it. ⁷ And who is the man who got engaged to a woman and has not married her? Let him go and let him return to his house, so that he does not die in battle and _⌊another man_⌋* marries her.' ⁸ And the officials shall continue to speak to the troops, and they shall say, '_⌊What man_⌋* is afraid _⌊and disheartened_⌋?* Let him go, and let him return to his house, and let him not cause the heart of his brothers to melt* like his.'

¹⁴ For _⌊we must certainly die_⌋,* and we are as the waters spilled to the ground which cannot be gathered. God will not take a life but devises plans for a banished person not to be cast out from him.

¹⁵ and they went after them to the Jordan. Look, all of the way was littered with clothes and equipment which the Arameans had thrown away in their haste. Then the messengers returned and told the king.

⁵ If his days are determined, the number of his months is with you; you have appointed his boundaries, and he cannot cross them.

¹⁴ If he should set his heart to it, and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,

¹⁷ The wicked shall turn back to Sheol, all the nations forgetting God,

⁶ those who trust their wealth and boast about the abundance of their riches? ⁷ Surely a man cannot redeem a brother. He cannot give to God his ransom ⁸ (since* the redemption price for their life is costly and it always fails), ⁹ so that he may stay alive forever and not see the pit.

⁵ but God will pull you down forever. He will snatch you and tear you away from your tent, and he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah ⁶ And the righteous will see and fear, and will laugh at him, saying, ⁷ "Look, the man who would not make God his refuge, but he trusted in the greatness of his wealth; he took refuge in his destructiveness."

¹⁸ Surely you set them on slippery places. You cause them to fall onto ruin.* ¹⁹ How they become a desolation in a moment! They come to a complete end by terrors. ²⁰ Like a dream upon awakening, when you wake up, O Lord, you will despise their fleeting form.* ²¹ When my heart was embittered and I felt stabbed in my kidneys, ²² then I was brutish and ignorant. With you I was like the beasts. ²³ But I am continually with you; you have hold of my right hand. ²⁴ You will guide me with your advice, and afterward you will take me into honor.* ²⁵ Whom do I have in the heavens except you? And with you I have no other desire on earth. ²⁶ My flesh and heart failed, but God is the _⌊strength_⌋* of my heart and my reward forever. ²⁷ For indeed, those distancing themselves from you will be ruined. You destroy each who abandons you for harlotry. ²⁸ But as for me, the approach to God is for my good. I have set the Lord Yahweh as my refuge, in order to tell all your works.

⁴⁸ What man can live on and not see death? Can he deliver his life from the _⌊power_⌋* of Sheol? Selah

³² By his evildoing, the wicked will be overthrown, and the righteous will find refuge in his death.

²¹ For no one knows whether the spirit of a human ascends to heaven and whether the spirit of the beast descends to the ground!

¹⁵ Because you have said,
"We have _⌊made_⌋* a covenant with death, and we have made an agreement with Sheol.
The overwhelming flood, when it passes through, will not come to us,
for we have made lies* our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves in falsehood."

¹⁸ And your covenant with death will be annulled, and your agreement with Sheol will not stand; you will become a trampling place for the overwhelming flood when it passes through.

⁴³ It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.

⁴ For indeed, he was crucified because of weakness, but he lives because of the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live together with him because of the power of God toward you.

²⁷ And _⌊just as_⌋* it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment,

⁵ And it was told to the king of Egypt that the people fled, and the heart of Pharaoh was changed and that of his servants toward the people, and they said, "What is this we have done, that we have released Israel from serving us!" ⁶ And he harnessed his chariot and took with him his people. ⁷ And he took six hundred select chariots and all the chariots of Egypt and officers over all of them. ⁸ And Yahweh hardened the heart of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he chased after the _⌊Israelites_⌋.* (Now the _⌊Israelites_⌋* were going out _⌊boldly_⌋.*) ⁹ And the Egyptians chased after them, and they overtook them encamped at the sea—all the horses of the chariots of Pharaoh and his charioteers and his army—at Pi-hahiroth before Baal Zephon.

²⁸ And the waters returned and covered the chariots and the charioteers—all the army of Pharaoh coming after them into the sea. Not _⌊even_⌋* one survived among them.

³⁰ But Sihon king of Heshbon was not willing to let us cross through his territory because Yahweh your God hardened his spirit and _⌊made him obstinate_⌋* _⌊in order to give him_⌋* into your hand, _⌊just as he has now done_⌋.*

¹⁰ You have indeed defeated Edom and your heart is lifted up; enjoy the honor and stay home. Why should you provoke trouble so that you fall and Judah with you?" ¹¹ But Amaziah would not listen, so Jehoash king of Israel went up and they met face-to-face, he and Amaziah king of Judah, at Beth-Shemesh which belongs to Judah. ¹² Judah was defeated before Israel and they fled, each to this tent.

⁷ They slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes; then they blinded the eyes of Zedekiah and bound him in bronze fetters and brought him to Babylon.

¹⁴ I saw all the works that are done under the sun. Look! Everything is vanity and chasing wind.

¹⁰ I have seen the busyness God gives to _⌊humans_⌋* to preoccupy* them.

⁷ I turned again and saw another vanity under the sun. ⁸ Sometimes a man is all alone with no companion; he also has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eye is not satisfied with wealth. He laments, "For whom am I toiling and depriving _⌊myself_⌋* of pleasure?" This also is vanity—it is an unhappy business!

⁸ Do not be surprised if you see the poor being oppressed with violence or do not see justice and righteousness in the province. For one official is watched by a higher official, and there are even higher officials over them!

¹³ There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: wealth _⌊hoarded_⌋* by its owner to his harm.

²⁵ I set my mind to try to seek wisdom and the plan, and to know that wickedness is foolishness and that folly is delusion.

³⁴ Then he came and ate and drank, and said, "Please take care of this cursed one and bury her, for she is the daughter of a king." ³⁵ When they went to bury her, they could not find her, except the skull, the feet, and the palms of the hands.

¹⁸ How often are they like straw _⌊before_⌋* the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away?

³² When* he is brought to the grave, then* someone stands guard over the tomb. ³³ The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone will follow after him, and _⌊before_⌋* him _⌊they are innumerable_⌋.*

¹² I have become forgotten like one dead, out of _⌊mind_⌋.* I am like a destroyed vessel.

¹ A song of ascents. Of David.*
I rejoiced in those who said to me, "Let us go to the house* of Yahweh." ² Our feet are standing within your gates, O Jerusalem— ³ Jerusalem that is built as a city that is joined together, ⁴ where the tribes go up, the tribes of Yah* as a testimony for Israel, to give thanks to the name of Yahweh. ⁵ For there the thrones sit* for judgment, thrones of David's house.

⁷ The memory of righteousness is like a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.

¹¹ There is neither remembrance of former generations, nor will there be remembrance of future generations.

¹⁶ Certainly no one will remember the wise man or the fool in _⌊future generations_⌋.* When future days come, both will have been forgotten already. How is it that the wise man dies the same as the fool?

⁵ For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything. They no longer have a reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten.

¹³ O Yahweh, the hope of Israel, all those who forsake you will be put to shame, and those who turn aside from you in the earth will be recorded, for they have forsaken the fountain of living water, Yahweh.

²² Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried away by the angels to _⌊Abraham's side_⌋.* And the rich man also died and was buried.

¹³ And they put forward false witnesses who said, "This man does not stop speaking words against the holy place* and the law!

³⁸ But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul is not well pleased with him."*

¹⁵ And Pharaoh saw that there was relief, and he made his heart _⌊insensitive_⌋,* and he did not listen to them, as Yahweh had spoken.

³² And Pharaoh made his heart _⌊insensitive_⌋* also this time, and he did not release the people.

¹¹ They send out their little ones like the flock, and their children dance around. ¹² They _⌊sing_⌋* to the tambourine and lyre, and they rejoice to the sound of the long flute. ¹³ They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol. ¹⁴ And they say to God, 'Turn away from us, for* we do not desire to know your ways. ¹⁵ Who is Shaddai that we should serve him, or* what would we benefit when we plead with him?'

⁶ He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved _⌊throughout all generations_⌋,* during which I will have no trouble."

²¹ These things you have done, and I have been silent; You imagined that I was just like you. I will rebuke you and present an argument before your eyes. ²² Now consider this, you who forget God, lest I tear you apart, and there will be none to deliver.

¹⁸ Ah! Those who drag iniquity along with the cords of falsehood and sin as with rope of the cart, ¹⁹ those who say, "Let him make haste; let him hurry his work so that we may see it and let it draw near and let the plan of the holy one of Israel come so that we may know it!"

¹⁰ Though the wicked person is shown compassion, he does not learn righteousness;
he acts unjustly in the land of uprightness, and he does not see the majesty of Yahweh.

¹¹ And of whom were you afraid and feared, that you deceived and did not remember me? Did you not place it on your heart? Have I not been silent, even from long ago, and so you do not fear me?

¹⁵ then _⌊therefore_⌋* hear the word of Yahweh, O remnant of Judah. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, the God of Israel: "_⌊If you are determined_⌋* to go to Egypt, and you go to dwell as aliens there,

¹¹ Moab has been at ease from his youth, and he has been quiet on his dregs, and he has not been poured out from vessel to vessel, and he has not gone into exile. _⌊Therefore_⌋* his taste has remained unchanged, and his fragrance has not changed.

⁴⁹ and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and eats and drinks with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the master of that slave will come on a day that he does not expect and at an hour that he does not know,

⁴ Or do you despise the wealth of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

³ above all knowing this, that in the last days scoffers will come with scoffing, following according to their own desires ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For _⌊ever since_⌋* the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued just as they have been from the beginning of creation." ⁵ For when* they maintain this, it escapes their notice that the heavens existed long ago and the earth held together out of water and through water by the word of God, ⁶ by means of which things the world that existed at that time was destroyed by* being inundated with water. ⁷ But by the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people. ⁸ Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not delaying the promise, as some consider slowness, but is being patient toward you, because he* does not want any to perish, but all to come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will disappear with a rushing noise, and the celestial bodies will be destroyed by* being burned up, and the earth and the deeds done on it will be disclosed.

²⁵ You shall not eat it, so that _⌊it will go well_⌋* for you and your children after you, because then you will be doing what is* right in the eyes of Yahweh.

⁵ "Moreover, you also know what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me when he dealt with the two commanders of the armies of Israel, to Abner son of Ner and to Amasa son of Jether, and he murdered them and put the blood of war in a time of peace. He put the blood of war on the leather belt that was on his waist and on the sandals which were on his feet. ⁶ You must act according to your wisdom, but you must not let his gray hair go down to Sheol in peace. ⁷ Regarding the sons of Barzillai the Gileadite, you shall do loyal love and let them be among those who eat at your table, because they met me when I fled from Absalom your brother. ⁸ And look, Shimei the son of Gera the son of the Benjaminite from Bahurim is with you. Now he _⌊cursed me severely_⌋* when I went to Mahanaim, but he came down to meet me at the Jordan, so I swore to him by Yahweh, 'I surely will not kill you with the sword.' ⁹ So then, do not leave him unpunished, for you are a wise man, and you will know what you must do to him. You must bring his grey hair down to Sheol with blood."

²⁵ Truly, there was no one like Ahab who had sold himself by doing evil in the eyes of Yahweh, whose wife Jezebel urged him on.

³⁴ But another man drew his bow fully and struck the king of Israel between the armor scales and the breastplate; so he said to his chariot driver, "Turn _⌊the chariot_⌋* and bring me out from the camp, for I am wounded." ³⁵ The battle intensified on that day, and the king was being propped up in the chariot opposite Aram, but he died in the evening, and the blood of the wound ran out to the floor of the chariot.

³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth; surely the world shall not be shaken.

¹¹ But the afflicted will possess the land, and they will take pleasure in an abundance of peace.

¹⁸ Yahweh knows the days of the blameless, and their inheritance will be forever. ¹⁹ They will not be put to shame in distressing times,* and in the days of famine they will be satisfied.

⁹ Worship Yahweh in holy array; tremble before him, all the earth.

¹ Praise Yah!* Blessed is the man who fears Yahweh; he takes great delight in his commands.

¹³ He will bless those who fear Yahweh, the small with the great.

³² for the waywardness of the simple ones will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. ³³ Whoever listens to me will dwell in security and rest securely* from dread and disaster."

²¹ Misfortune will pursue sinners, but the righteous _⌊will be rewarded with prosperity_⌋.*

¹⁴ I know everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it, for God so acts that humans* might stand in awe before him.

¹⁶ This also is a grievous illness. Exactly as he came, so he will go. What profit does he gain for all his toil for the wind?

¹⁵ I have seen all these things in my vain life: Sometimes a righteous man perishes in spite of his righteousness, and sometimes a wicked man lives a long life in spite of his evil.

¹⁸ It is good to take hold of the one and also must not let go of the other; for whoever fears God will hold both of them secure.

¹⁰ Tell the innocent* that it is good for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds. ¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

¹³ Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh:
"Look! My servants shall eat but* you, you shall be hungry. Look! My servants shall drink but* you, you shall be thirsty. Look! My servants shall rejoice but* you, you shall be ashamed. ¹⁴ Look! My servants shall shout _⌊for joy_⌋,* but* you, you shall cry out _⌊for pain_⌋* and howl _⌊for sadness_⌋.*

²⁰ There will no longer be a nursing infant _⌊who lives only a few_⌋* days, or* an old man who does not fill his days, for the boy will die _⌊a hundred years old_⌋,* and the one who _⌊fails to reach_⌋* _⌊a hundred years_⌋* will be _⌊considered_⌋* accursed. ²¹ And they shall build houses and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. ²² They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. For the days of my people shall be like the days of a tree, and my chosen ones shall enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They shall not labor for nothing, and they shall not give birth to horror, for they _⌊shall be offspring blessed by_⌋* Yahweh, and their descendants with them. ²⁴ And this will happen: before they call, I myself will answer; while still they are speaking, I myself will hear.

³⁴ Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world!

⁴¹ Then he will also say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! ⁴² For I was hungry and you did not give me anything* to eat, I was thirsty and you did not give me anything* to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.' ⁴⁴ Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and not serve you?' ⁴⁵ Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly I say to you, in as much as you did not do it* to one of the least of these, you did not do it* to me.' ⁴⁶ And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

⁵⁰ And his mercy is for generation after generation to those who fear him.

⁵ But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

²² And what if God, wanting to demonstrate his wrath and to make known his power, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?

⁹ then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to reserve the unrighteous to be punished at* the day of judgment,

⁶ "My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle, and they come to an end _⌊without hope_⌋.* ⁷ Remember that my life is a breath; my eye will not return to see good.

² Like a flower he comes up, and he withers away; and he flees like a* shadow, but* he does not last.

⁵ Furthermore,* the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire will not shine.

⁵ that the rejoicing of the wicked is _⌊short_⌋,* and the joy of the godless _⌊lasts only a moment_⌋?*

³⁰ Indeed, the wicked is spared from the day of disaster; he is delivered from the day of wrath.

⁵ Yahweh tests the righteous, but the wicked and the lover of violence his soul hates.

⁵ Look, you have made my days mere handbreadths, and my lifespan as nothing next to you. Surely every person standing firm is complete vanity. Selah

²³ But you, O God, you will bring them down to the pit of corruption. The men of bloodshed and deceit will not live half their days, but I will trust you.

⁴ Humankind is like a breath, his days like a passing shadow.

¹¹ Woe to the wicked!* It is bad! For what is done by his hands will be done to him.

¹³ therefore this iniquity shall come for you like a breach about to fall, bulging out on a high wall _⌊that breaks_⌋* suddenly, in an instant.

²¹ There is no peace," says my God, "for the wicked."

¹⁸ You will return and see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between the one who serves God and the one who does not serve him.

⁴⁹ Thus it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the righteous ⁵⁰ and throw them into the fiery furnace.* In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!

²⁹ and they will come out—those who have done good things to a resurrection of life, but those who have practiced evil things to a resurrection of judgment.

¹⁴ you who do not know _⌊what will happen tomorrow_⌋*, _⌊what your life will be like_⌋*. For you are a smoky vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears.

³ And in greediness they will exploit you with false words, whose condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

²² It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.' ²³ When the whip* kills suddenly, he mocks at the despair of the innocent. ²⁴ The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the face of its judge— if it is not he, then who is it?

⁷ "Why do the wicked live, grow old, even grow mighty in power?

¹⁷ "How often is the lamp of the wicked put out, and their disaster comes upon them? He* distributes pains in his anger. ¹⁸ How often are they like straw _⌊before_⌋* the wind, and like chaff that the storm carries away? ¹⁹ 'God stores up his iniquity for his children'?* Then let him repay it to him that* he may know. ²⁰ Let his eyes see his decay, and let him drink from the wrath of Shaddai, ²¹ for what _⌊does he care for_⌋* his house after him, when the number of his months is* cut off? ²² Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since* he himself* judges high ones? ²³ This one dies _⌊in full prosperity_⌋,* _⌊completely_⌋* at ease and secure. ²⁴ His vats are full with milk and the marrow of his bones is moist. ²⁵ Yet* another dies with a bitter inner self* and has not tasted prosperity. ²⁶ They lie down together in the dust, and maggots cover them. ²⁷ "Look, I know your* thoughts and the schemes you devise against me. ²⁸ For you say, 'Where is the nobleman's house, and where are _⌊the tents in which the wicked dwell_⌋?'* ²⁹ Do you not ask those traveling the roads, and do you not take notice of their accounts? ³⁰ Indeed, the wicked is spared from the day of disaster; he is delivered from the day of wrath. ³¹ Who denounces his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done? ³² When* he is brought to the grave, then* someone stands guard over the tomb. ³³ The clods of the valley are sweet to him; everyone will follow after him, and _⌊before_⌋* him _⌊they are innumerable_⌋.* ³⁴ So* how will you comfort me with emptiness, when* fraud is left in your answers?"

²¹ He feeds on the barren, who does not have a child, and does no good to the widow. ²² Yet* he* carries off the tyrants by his strength; if he rises up, then* he* cannot be certain of life.* ²³ He* gives security to him, and he is* supported, but* his eyes are upon their ways. ²⁴ They are exalted a little while, then* _⌊they are gone_⌋.* And they are brought low; they are cut off like all others, and like the heads of grain they wither away. ²⁵ "And if it is not so, then who can prove me a liar and reduce my word to nothing?"

³ because I envied the boastful when I saw the well-being* of the wicked.

¹² See, these are the wicked, and they increase wealth, ever carefree. ¹³ Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure, and washed my hands in innocence. ¹⁴ And I have been plagued all day and rebuked _⌊every morning_⌋.*

⁴ I also realized that all of the toil and all of the skillful work that is done—it is envy between one man and _⌊another_⌋.* This also is vanity and chasing wind!

⁸ Sometimes a man is all alone with no companion; he also has neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eye is not satisfied with wealth. He laments, "For whom am I toiling and depriving _⌊myself_⌋* of pleasure?" This also is vanity—it is an unhappy business!

¹ So all this I laid to my heart, and I concluded* that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in the hand of God. So no one knows anything that will come to them, whether it will be love or hatred. ² The same fate comes to everyone:
to the righteous and to the wicked, to the good and to the wicked,* to the clean and to the unclean, to those who sacrifice and to those who do not sacrifice. As with the good man, so also to the sinner; as with those who swear an oath, so also those who fear oaths. ³ This is the _⌊injustice_⌋* that is done under the sun: the same fate comes to everyone. Also the hearts of _⌊humans_⌋* are full of evil; delusion is in their hearts during their lives, and then they die.

⁵ There is an evil I have seen under the sun— it is an error that proceeds from a ruler!

¹ You will be in the right, O Yahweh, when I complain to you. Even so, let me speak my claims with you. Why does the way of the wicked succeed? All those who deal treacherously with treachery are at ease.

¹⁵ And now we are calling the arrogant blessed! Not only do those who do wickedness prosper; they also test God and they escape!'"

²⁴ There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink and _⌊find delight_⌋* in his toil. For I also realized that this is from the hand of God!

¹² So I realized that there is _⌊nothing better_⌋* for them than to _⌊rejoice and enjoy themselves_⌋* during their lives. ¹³ And for anyone to eat and drink, that is, _⌊to enjoy the fruit of all his toil_⌋,* this also is a gift of God.

¹⁸ Look! I have discovered what is good and fitting: to eat and to drink and _⌊to enjoy_⌋* all the fruit of the toil with which one toils under the sun during the number of the days of his life that God gives to him—for this is his lot.*

⁷ Go—eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart! For God already has approved your deeds. ⁸ Always be clothed in white garments, and never let your head lack oil! ⁹ Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which he gives you under the sun, because this is your lot in life and in the toil with which you toil under the sun.

³ who forbid marrying and insist on abstaining from foods that God created for sharing in with thankfulness by those who believe and who know the truth, ⁴ because everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is* received with thankfulness,

¹⁷ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be proud and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of riches, but in God, who provides us all things richly for enjoyment,

⁴⁰ There I was, during the day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and my sleep fled from my eyes.

² It is in vain for you who rise early and sit late, eating the bread of anxious toil, when thus he* provides* for his beloved in his sleep.*

¹³ I applied my mind to seek and to search by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.* It is a grievous task God has given to _⌊humans_⌋.*

²³ All his days are painful, his labor brings grief, and his heart cannot rest at night. This also is vanity!

¹² The sleep of the laborer is pleasant, whether he eats little or much, but the wealth of the rich man does not allow him to rest.

⁷ Surely no one knows what will be, so who can tell anyone what will happen?

⁹ I saw all this as I applied my heart to all the deeds done under the sun: _⌊sometimes those in authority harm others_⌋.*

⁹ He is doing great and _⌊unsearchable_⌋* things, marvelous things _⌊without number_⌋*—

⁷ "Can you find out the essence of God, or can you find out _⌊the ultimate limits_⌋* of Shaddai? ⁸ _⌊It is higher than the heaven_⌋;* what can you do? It is deeper than Sheol; what can you know? ⁹ Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.

⁵ Many things, O Yahweh my God, you have done— your wonderful deeds and your thoughts toward us. There is none to compare with you. If I tried to proclaim and tell of them, they would be too numerous to count.

¹⁶ When I thought about how to understand this, it was troubling in my eyes

²⁴ How many are your works, O Yahweh; all of them you have done in wisdom. The earth is full of your creatures.

³ And I have not learned wisdom, nor will I know knowledge of the Holy One.* ⁴ Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hand? Who has wrapped water in a* garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name and what is the name of his child? For surely you know.

²³ All this I have tested with wisdom. I said, "I will be wise!" but _⌊it was beyond my grasp_⌋.* ²⁴ _⌊Whatever is—it is far beyond comprehension_⌋.* Who can discover it?

⁵ Just as you do not know how the path of the wind* goes, nor how the bones of a fetus form in a mother's womb, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.

²⁸ Have you not known, or have you not heard? Yahweh is the God of eternity, the creator of the ends of the earth! He is not faint, and he does not grow weary! There is no searching his understanding.

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how incomprehensible are his ways!