Genesis to Revelation Bible
Reading Plan
July 24
Ecclesiastes 10-12
Chapter 10
A Little Foolishness
1 Dead flies make a perfumer’s oil stink, so a little foolishness is
weightier than wisdom and honor.
2 A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s
heart directs him toward the left.
3 Even when the fool walks along the road, his sense is lacking and he demonstrates
to everyone that he is a fool.
4 If the ruler’s temper rises against you, do not abandon your position,
because composure allays great offenses.
5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun, like an error which goes forth
from the ruler—
6 folly is set in many exalted places while rich men sit in humble places.
7 I have seen slaves riding on horses and princes walking like slaves on
the land.
8 He who digs a pit may fall into it, and a serpent may bite him who breaks
through a wall.
9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits logs may be endangered
by them.
10 If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must exert
more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
11 If the serpent bites before being charmed, there is no profit for the
charmer.
12 Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious, while the lips of a fool
consume him;
13 the beginning of his talking is folly and the end of it is wicked madness.
14 Yet the fool multiplies words. No man knows what will happen, and who can
tell him what will come after him?
15 The toil of a fool so wearies him that he does not even know how to go to
a city.
16 Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the
morning.
17 Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at
the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.
18 Through indolence the rafters sag, and through slackness the house leaks.
19 Men prepare a meal for enjoyment, and wine makes life merry, and money
is the answer to everything.
20 Furthermore, in your bedchamber do not curse a king, and in your sleeping
rooms do not curse a rich man, for a bird of the heavens will carry the sound
and the winged creature will make the matter known.
Chapter 11
Cast Your Bread on the Waters
1 Cast your bread on the surface of the waters, for you will find
it after many days.
2 Divide your portion to seven, or even to eight, for you do not know what
misfortune may occur on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full, they pour out rain upon the earth; and whether a
tree falls toward the south or toward the north, wherever the tree falls, there
it
lies.
4 He who watches the wind will not sow and he who looks at the clouds will
not reap.
5 Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed
in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God
who makes all things.
6 Sow your seed in the morning and do not be idle in the evening, for you
do not know whether morning or evening sowing will succeed, or whether both
of them alike will be good.
7 The light is pleasant, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun.
8 Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and
let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything
that is to come will be futility.
9 Rejoice, young man, during your childhood, and let your heart be pleasant
during the days of young manhood. And follow the impulses of your heart and
the desires
of your eyes. Yet know that God will bring you to judgment for all these
things.
10 So, remove grief and anger from your heart and put away pain from your
body, because childhood and the prime of life are fleeting.
Chapter 12
Remember God in Your Youth
1 Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the
evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no delight in them”;
2 before the sun and the light, the moon and the stars are darkened, and
clouds return after the rain;
3 in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop,
the grinding ones stand idle because they are few, and those who look through
windows grow dim;
4 and the doors on the street are shut as the sound of the grinding mill
is low, and one will arise at the sound of the bird, and all the daughters
of
song will sing softly.
5 Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road;
the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry
is ineffective. For man goes to his eternal home while mourners go about
in the street.
6 Remember Him before the silver cord is broken and the golden bowl is
crushed, the pitcher by the well is shattered and the wheel at the cistern
is crushed;
7 then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will
return to God who gave it.
8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”
Purpose of the Preacher
9 In addition to being a wise man, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge;
and he pondered, searched out and arranged many proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth
correctly.
11 The words of wise men are like goads, and masters of these collections
are like well-driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd.
12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless,
and excessive devotion to books is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments,
because this applies to every person.
14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden,
whether it is good or evil.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)