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Bible Reading Plan
Daily Bible Reading
August 4 - Straight Thru the Bible
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Proverbs 31
Chapter 31
The Words of Lemuel
1 The words of King Lemuel,
an oracle[a](a) that his mother taught him:
2 What should I say, my son?
What, son of my womb?(b)
What, son of my vows?
3 Don't spend your energy(c) on women
or your efforts on those who destroy kings.(d)
4 It is not for kings, Lemuel,
it is not for kings(e) to drink wine(f)
or for rulers to desire beer.
5 Otherwise, they[b] will drink,
forget what is decreed,(g)
and pervert justice for all the oppressed.[c](h)
6 Give beer to one who is dying
and wine to one whose life is bitter.(i)
7 Let him drink so that he can forget his poverty
and remember his trouble no more.(j)
8 Speak up[d] for those who have no voice,[e](k)
for the justice of all who are dispossessed.[f]
9 Speak up,[g] judge righteously,(l)
and defend the cause of[h] the oppressed and needy.(m)
In Praise of a Capable Wife
10 Who can find a capable wife?[i](n)
She is far more precious than jewels.[j]
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will not lack anything good.
12 She rewards him with good, not evil,
all the days of her life.
13 She selects wool and flax
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from far away.(o)
15 She rises while it is still night(p)
and provides food for her household
and portions[k] for her female servants.(q)
16 She evaluates a field and buys it;
she plants a vineyard with her earnings.[l](r)
17 She draws on her strength[m]
and reveals that her arms are strong.(s)
18 She sees that her profits are good,
and her lamp never goes out at night.(t)
19 She extends her hands to the spinning staff,
and her hands hold the spindle.(u)
20 Her hands reach[n] out to the poor,
and she extends her hands to the needy.(v)
21 She is not afraid for her household when it snows,
for all in her household are doubly clothed.[o]
22 She makes her own bed coverings;(w)
her clothing is fine linen(x) and purple.(y)
23 Her husband is known at the city gates,
where he sits among the elders of the land.(z)
24 She makes and sells linen garments;
she delivers belts[p] to the merchants.
25 Strength(aa) and honor are her clothing,(ab)
and she can laugh at the time to come.(ac)
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom
and loving instruction[q] is on her tongue.
27 She watches over the activities of her household(ad)
and is never idle.[r]
28 Her sons rise up and call her blessed.
Her husband also praises her:
29 "Many women[s] are capable,
but you surpass them all!"(ae)
30 Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting,(af)
but a woman who fears the
Lord
will be praised.
31 Give her the reward of her labor,[t]
and let her works praise her at the city gates.
Ecclesiastes 1:1-3:8
Chapter 1
Everything is Futile
1 The words of the Teacher,[a](a) son of David, king in Jerusalem.(b)
2 "Absolute futility," says the Teacher.
"Absolute futility. Everything is futile."(c)
3 What does a man gain for all his efforts
that he labors at under the sun?(d)
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
but the earth remains forever.(e)
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
panting, it returns to its place(f)
where it rises.
6 Gusting to the south,
turning to the north,
turning, turning, goes the wind,(g)
and the wind returns in its cycles.
7 All the streams flow to the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
The streams are flowing to the place,
and they flow there again.
8 All things[b] are wearisome;
man is unable to speak.
The eye is not satisfied by seeing(h)
or the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be,
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Can one say about anything,
"Look, this is new"?
It has already existed in the ages before us.
11 There is no remembrance of those who[c] came before;(i)
and of those who[d] will come after
there will also be no remembrance
by those who follow them.
The Limitations of Wisdom
12 I, the Teacher,(j) have been[e] king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I applied my mind to seek(k) and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven.(l) God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.(m) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.[f](n)
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(o)
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself,[g] "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me,(p) and my mind has thoroughly grasped[h] wisdom and knowledge." 17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge,(q) madness and folly;(r) I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.[i](s)
18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow;(t)
as knowledge increases, grief increases.
Chapter 2
The Emptiness of Pleasure
1 I said to myself, "Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;(a) enjoy what is good." But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter,(b) "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?" 3 I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life[a] with wine(c) and how to grasp folly(d)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven[b] during the few days of their lives.(e)
The Emptiness of Possessions
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses(f) and planted vineyards(g) for myself. 5 I made gardens(h) and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.(i) 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.(j) I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.(k) 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(l) I gathered male and female singers for myself,(m) and many concubines, the delights of men.[c][d] 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;(n) my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.(o) I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.(p) 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished[e] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.(q) There was nothing to be gained under the sun.(r)
The Relative Value of Wisdom
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,(s) madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He[f] will do what has already been done.(t) 13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.(u)
14 The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.(v)
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.(w) 15 So I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?"(x) And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man,(y) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun(z) because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.(aa) 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?(ab) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over[g] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,(ac) and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts(ad) that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;(ae) even at night, his mind does not rest.(af) This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy[h][i] his work.(ag) I have seen that even this is from God's hand,(ah) 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life[j] apart from Him?[k] 26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,(ai) but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight.(aj) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(ak)
Chapter 3
The Mystery of Time
1 There is an occasion for everything,
and a time for every activity under heaven:(a)
2 a time to give birth and a time to die;(b)
a time to plant and a time to uproot;[a]
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to tear down and a time to build;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;(c)
a time to mourn and a time to dance;(d)
5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;(e)
a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;(f)
6 a time to search and a time to count as lost;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to sew;
a time to be silent and a time to speak;(g)
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.(h)
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