From: "FamilyNet" 

Bible Reading for June 12

Ecclesiastes 7
[1] A good name is better than precious ointment; and the day of death than
the day of one's birth.
[2] It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of
feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his
heart.
[3] Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance
the heart is made better.
[4] The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of
fools is in the house of mirth.
[5] It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the
song of fools.
[6] For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the
fool: this also is vanity.
[7] Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.
[8] Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the
patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. [9] Be not hasty in
thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
[10] Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than
these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this. [11] Wisdom is
good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to them that see the
sun.
[12] For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of
knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. [13] Consider
the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made
crooked?
[14] In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity
consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that
man should find nothing after him.
[15] All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just man
that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that
prolongeth his life in his wickedness. [16] Be not righteous over much;
neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?
[17] Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou
die before thy time?
[18] It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from this
withdraw not thine hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them
all.
[19] Wisdom strengtheneth the wise more than ten mighty men which are in the city.
[20] For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
[21] Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy
servant curse thee:
[22] For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise
hast cursed others.
[23] All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was
far from me.
[24] That which is far off, and exceeding deep, who can find it out? [25] I
applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the
reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness
and madness:
[26] And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and
nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but
the sinner shall be taken by her.
[27] Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to
find out the account:
[28] Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand
have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. [29] Lo, this
only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out
many inventions.

Ecclesiastes 8
[1] Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing?
a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall
be changed.
[2] I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment, and that in regard of
the oath of God.
[3] Be not hasty to go out of his sight: stand not in an evil thing; for he
doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.
[4] Where the word of a king is, there is power: and who may say unto him,
What doest thou?
[5] Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise
man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. [6] Because to every purpose
there is time and judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.
[7] For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
[8] There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit;
neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in
that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. [9]
All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done
under the sun: there is a time wherein one man ruleth over another to his
own hurt.
[10] And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place
of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done:
this is also vanity.
[11] Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily,
therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.
[12] Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged,
yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear
before him:
[13] But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his
days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. [14] There
is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom
it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked
men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said
that this also is vanity.
[15] Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the
sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with
him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
[16] When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to see the business that
is done upon the earth: (for also there is that neither day nor night seeth
sleep with his eyes:)
[17] Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work
that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet
he shall not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to know it, yet
shall he not be able to find it.

Ecclesiastes 9
[1] For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that
the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no
man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. [2] All
things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the
wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that
sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the
sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. [3] This is an
evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event
unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and
madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the
dead.
[4] For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living
dog is better than a dead lion.
[5] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any
thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is
forgotten.
[6] Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished;
neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done
under the sun.
[7] Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry
heart; for God now accepteth thy works. [8] Let thy garments be always
white; and let thy head lack no ointment. [9] Live joyfully with the wife
whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath
given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy
portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun.
[10] Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is
no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest.
[11] I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift,
nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches
to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and
chance happeneth to them all.
[12] For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an
evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of
men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. [13] This
wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me:
[14] There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great
king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: [15]
Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered
the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. [16] Then said I,
Wisdom is better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is
despised, and his words are not heard. [17] The words of wise men are heard
in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools.
[18] Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good.

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