The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly

14 ^yIn the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, ^zso that man may not find out anything that will be after him.

15 In my ^avain³ life I have seen everything. There is ^ba righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who ^cprolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not ^dmake yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. ^eWhy should you die before your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of ^fthis, and from ^gthat ^hwithhold not your hand, for the one who fears God shall come out from both of them.

19 ⁱWisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20 Surely ^jthere is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear ^kyour servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that ^lmany times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by wisdom. ^mI said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and ⁿdeep, very deep; ^owho can find it out?

25 ^pI turned my heart to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of folly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more ^qbitter than death: ^rthe woman whose heart is ^ssnares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God escapes her, but ^tthe sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says ^uthe Preacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. ^vOne man among a thousand I found, but ^wa woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that ^xGod made man upright, but ^ythey have sought out many schemes.

Keep the King’s Command

2 I say:⁴ Keep the king’s command, because of ^bGod’s oath to him.⁵ 3 Be not hasty to ^cgo from his presence. Do not take your stand in an evil cause, for he does whatever he pleases. 4 For the word of the king is supreme, and ^dwho may say to him, “What are you doing?” 5 Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way.⁶ 6 For there is a time and a way ^efor everything, although man’s trouble⁷ lies heavy on him. 7 For he ^fdoes not know what is to be, for ^gwho can tell him how it will be? 8 No man has power to ^hretain the spirit, ⁱor power over the day of death. There is no ^jdischarge from war, nor will wickedness deliver those who are given to it. 9 ^kAll this I observed while applying my heart to all that is done under the sun, when man had power over man to his hurt.

Those Who Fear God Will Do Well

10 Then I saw the wicked buried. They used to go in and out of ^lthe holy place and were ^mpraised⁸ in the city where they had done such things. This also is vanity.⁹ 11 Because ⁿthe sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, ^othe heart of the children of man is fully set to do evil. 12 Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and ^pprolongs his life, yet I know that ^qit will be well with ^rthose who fear God, because they fear before him. 13 But it will ^snot be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like ^ta shadow, because he does not fear before God.

Man Cannot Know God’s Ways

14 There is a vanity that takes place on earth, that there are righteous people ^uto whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked, and there are wicked people ^vto whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. 15 And I commend joy, for man ^whas nothing better under the sun but to ^xeat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to see ^ythe business that is done on earth, how neither ^zday nor night do one’s eyes see sleep, 17 then I saw all the work of God, that ^aman cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. However much man may toil in seeking, he will not find it out. Even though a wise man claims to know, ^bhe cannot find it out.

Death Comes to All

1 But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, ^chow the righteous and the wise and their deeds are ^din the hand of God. Whether it is love or hate, man does not know; both are before him. 2 ^eIt is the same for all, since ^fthe same event happens to the righteous and the wicked, to the good and the evil,¹⁰ to the clean and the unclean, to him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As the good one is, so is the sinner, and he who ^gswears is as he who shuns an oath. 3 This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that ^ethe same event happens to all. Also, the hearts of the children of man are full of evil, and ^hmadness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. 4 But he who is joined with all the living has hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5 For the living know that they will die, but ⁱthe dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for ^jthe memory of them is forgotten. 6 Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun.

Enjoy Life with the One You Love

7 Go, ^keat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.

8 ^lLet your garments be always white. Let not ^moil be lacking on your head.

9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your ⁿvain¹¹ life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your ^oportion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, ^pdo it with your might,^{12 q}for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

Wisdom Better Than Folly

11 ^rAgain I saw that under the sun ^sthe race is not to the swift, nor ^tthe battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and ^uchance ^vhappen to them all. 12 For man ^wdoes not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and ^xlike birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are ^ysnared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.

13 I have also seen this example of wisdom under the sun, and it seemed great to me. 14 There was a little city with few men in it, and a great king came against it and besieged it, building great siegeworks against it. 15 But there was found in it ^za poor, wise man, and he by his ^awisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that poor man. 16 But I say that ^bwisdom is better than might, though ^cthe poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard.

17 The words of the wise heard in ^dquiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. 18 ^eWisdom is better than weapons of war, but ^fone sinner destroys much good.

Tell the Coming Generation

A Maskil¹ of ^hAsaph.

The Resurrection

1 ^eNow on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that ^fthe stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, ^gthe one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and ^hwe do not know where they have laid him.” 3 ⁱSo Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw ^jthe linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and ^kthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus’¹ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, ^lwho had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet ^mthey did not understand the Scripture, ⁿthat he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And ^oshe saw ^ptwo angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, ^q“Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, ^r“They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and ^ssaw Jesus standing, ^tbut she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, ^u“Woman, why are you weeping? ^vWhom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be ^wthe gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic,^{2 x}“Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ^ymy brothers and say to them, ^z‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to ^amy God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene ^bwent and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to the Disciples

19 ^cOn the evening ^dof that day, the first day of the week, ^ethe doors being locked where the disciples were ^ffor fear of the Jews,³ Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, ^g“Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, ^hhe showed them his hands and his side. Then ⁱthe disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As ^jthe Father has sent me, ^keven so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he ^lbreathed on them and said to them, ^m“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 ⁿIf you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Jesus and Thomas

24 Now ^oThomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin,⁴ was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, ^p“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”

26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. ^qAlthough the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ^q“Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, ^r“Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, ^s“My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? ^tBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

The Purpose of This Book

30 ^uNow Jesus did many other signs ^vin the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 ^wbut these are written so that you may ^xbelieve that Jesus is the Christ, ^ythe Son of God, and that by believing ^zyou may have life ^ain his name.

Jesus Appears to Seven Disciples

1 After this Jesus ^brevealed himself ^cagain to the disciples by ^dthe Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. 2 Simon Peter, ^eThomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of ^fCana in Galilee, ^gthe sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together. 3 Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but ^hthat night they caught nothing.

4 Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples ⁱdid not know that it was Jesus. 5 ^jJesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” They answered him, “No.” 6 ^kHe said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. 7 That disciple ^lwhom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, ^mhe put on his outer garment, for he was ⁿstripped for work, and ^othrew himself into the sea. 8 The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, but about a hundred yards⁵ off.

9 When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, ^p“Come and ^qhave breakfast.” Now ^rnone of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and ^stook the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. 14 ^tThis was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.