Overcoming Marital Anxiety

DRAWING FROM the RIGHT WELL

Wait Well: Trusting God's Timing

Who Owns Your Time?

Competing for Christ

When to Forgive and Stand Firm

Journey Through 1 Thessalonians

Praying God's Word: 7-Day Guide for the Buddhist World

Faith That Endures

Lifestyle of Worship - Part 2

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch8" data-usfm="ECC.8">
         <div class="label">8</div><div class="q1"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Who is like the wise?</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">Who knows the explanation of things?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">A person&#8217;s wisdom brightens their face</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">and changes its hard appearance.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Obey the King</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.8.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.8.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">Obey the king&#8217;s command, I say, because you took an oath before God. </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.8.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Do not be in a hurry to leave the king&#8217;s presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases. </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.8.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">Since a king&#8217;s word is supreme, who can say to him, &#8220;What are you doing?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.8.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="content">and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.8.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="content">though a person may be weighed down by misery.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.8.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Since no one knows the future,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="content">who can tell someone else what is to come?</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.8.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">As no one has power over the wind to contain it,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">so</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:8 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">over the human spirit to retain it, / and so</span></span></span><span class="content"> no one has power over the time of their death.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">As no one is discharged in time of war,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">so wickedness will not release those who practice it.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.8.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.8.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:9 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">to their</span></span></span><span class="content"> hurt. </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.8.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Then too, I saw the wicked buried&#8212;those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">8:10 </span><span class="ft">Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint (Aquila); most Hebrew manuscripts </span><span class="fqa">and are forgotten</span></span></span><span class="content"> in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.8.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.8.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, people&#8217;s hearts are filled with schemes to do wrong. </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.8.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Although a wicked person who commits a hundred crimes may live a long time, I know that it will go better with those who fear God, who are reverent before him. </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.8.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.8.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.8.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless. </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.8.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">So I commend the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.8.15"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.8.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the labor that is done on earth&#8212;people getting no sleep day or night&#8212; </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.8.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all their efforts to search it out, no one can discover its meaning. Even if the wise claim they know, they cannot really comprehend it.</span></span></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch9" data-usfm="ECC.9">
         <div class="label">9</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">A Common Destiny for All</span></div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.9.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God&#8217;s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them. </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">All share a common destiny&#8212;the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad,</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">9:2 </span><span class="ft">Septuagint (Aquila), Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew does not have </span><span class="fq">and the bad</span><span class="fqa">.</span></span></span><span class="content"> the clean and the unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="content">As it is with the good,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="content">so with the sinful;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="content">as it is with those who take oaths,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="content">so with those who are afraid to take them.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.9.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.9.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of people, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead. </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.9.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">Anyone who is among the living has hope</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">9:4 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">What then is to be chosen? With all who live, there is hope</span></span></span><span class="content">&#8212;even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.9.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.9.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">For the living know that they will die,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.9.5"><span class="content">but the dead know nothing;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.9.5"><span class="content">they have no further reward,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.9.5"><span class="content">and even their name is forgotten.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.9.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.9.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Their love, their hate</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.9.6"><span class="content">and their jealousy have long since vanished;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.9.6"><span class="content">never again will they have a part</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.9.6"><span class="content">in anything that happens under the sun.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.9.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.9.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.9.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">Always be clothed in white, and always anoint your head with oil. </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.9.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">Enjoy life with your wife, whom you love, all the days of this meaningless life that God has given you under the sun&#8212;all your meaningless days. For this is your lot in life and in your toilsome labor under the sun. </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.9.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.9.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">I have seen something else under the sun:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">The race is not to the swift</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">or the battle to the strong,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">nor does food come to the wise</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">or wealth to the brilliant</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">or favor to the learned;</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">but time and chance happen to them all.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.9.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="content">As fish are caught in a cruel net,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="content">or birds are taken in a snare,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="content">so people are trapped by evil times</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="content">that fall unexpectedly upon them.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Wisdom Better Than Folly</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.9.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.9.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">I also saw under the sun this example of wisdom that greatly impressed me: </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.9.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">There was once a small city with only a few people in it. And a powerful king came against it, surrounded it and built huge siege works against it. </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.9.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">Now there lived in that city a man poor but wise, and he saved the city by his wisdom. But nobody remembered that poor man. </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.9.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">So I said, &#8220;Wisdom is better than strength.&#8221; But the poor man&#8217;s wisdom is despised, and his words are no longer heeded.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.9.16"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.9.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.9.17"><span class="content">than the shouts of a ruler of fools.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.9.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.9.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">Wisdom is better than weapons of war,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.9.18"><span class="content">but one sinner destroys much good.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkECC">
      <div class="chapter ch10" data-usfm="ECC.10">
         <div class="label">10</div><div class="q1"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.10.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">As dead flies give perfume a bad smell,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.10.1"><span class="content">so a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="ECC.10.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.10.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">The heart of the wise inclines to the right,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.10.2"><span class="content">but the heart of the fool to the left.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="ECC.10.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.10.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Even as fools walk along the road,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.10.3"><span class="content">they lack sense</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.10.3"><span class="content">and show everyone how stupid they are.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="ECC.10.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.10.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">If a ruler&#8217;s anger rises against you,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.10.4"><span class="content">do not leave your post;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.10.4"><span class="content">calmness can lay great offenses to rest.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="ECC.10.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.10.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">There is an evil I have seen under the sun,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.10.5"><span class="content">the sort of error that arises from a ruler:</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="ECC.10.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.10.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Fools are put in many high positions,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.10.6"><span class="content">while the rich occupy the low ones.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="ECC.10.6"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.10.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">I have seen slaves on horseback,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.10.7"><span class="content">while princes go on foot like slaves.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="ECC.10.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.10.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">Whoever digs a pit may fall into it;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.10.8"><span class="content">whoever breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="ECC.10.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.10.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">Whoever quarries stones may be injured by them;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.10.9"><span class="content">whoever splits logs may be endangered by them.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="ECC.10.9"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.10.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">If the ax is dull</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.10.10"><span class="content">and its edge unsharpened,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.10.10"><span class="content">more strength is needed,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.10.10"><span class="content">but skill will bring success.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="ECC.10.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.10.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">If a snake bites before it is charmed,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.10.11"><span class="content">the charmer receives no fee.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="ECC.10.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.10.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">Words from the mouth of the wise are gracious,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.10.12"><span class="content">but fools are consumed by their own lips.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="ECC.10.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.10.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">At the beginning their words are folly;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.10.13"><span class="content">at the end they are wicked madness&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="ECC.10.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.10.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">and fools multiply words.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.10.14"><span class="content">No one knows what is coming&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.10.14"><span class="content">who can tell someone else what will happen after them?</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="ECC.10.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.10.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">The toil of fools wearies them;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.10.15"><span class="content">they do not know the way to town.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="ECC.10.15"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.10.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">Woe to the land whose king was a servant</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">10:16 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">king is a child</span></span></span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.10.16"><span class="content">and whose princes feast in the morning.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="ECC.10.16"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.10.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">Blessed is the land whose king is of noble birth</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.10.17"><span class="content">and whose princes eat at a proper time&#8212;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.10.17"><span class="content">for strength and not for drunkenness.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="ECC.10.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.10.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">Through laziness, the rafters sag;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.10.18"><span class="content">because of idle hands, the house leaks.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="ECC.10.18"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.10.19"><span class="label">19</span><span class="content">A feast is made for laughter,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.10.19"><span class="content">wine makes life merry,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.10.19"><span class="content">and money is the answer for everything.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="ECC.10.19"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.10.20"><span class="label">20</span><span class="content">Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.10.20"><span class="content">or curse the rich in your bedroom,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.10.20"><span class="content">because a bird in the sky may carry your words,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="ECC.10.20"><span class="content">and a bird on the wing may report what you say.</span></span></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkPSA">
      <div class="chapter ch150" data-usfm="PSA.150">
         <div class="label">150</div><div class="cl"><span class="heading">Psalm 150</span></div><div class="q1"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.150.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Praise the </span><span class="nd"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content">.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">150:1 </span><span class="ft">Hebrew </span><span class="fqa">Hallelu Yah</span><span class="ft">; also in verse 6</span></span></span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.150.1"><span class="content">Praise God in his sanctuary;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.150.1"><span class="content">praise him in his mighty heavens.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="PSA.150.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.150.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">Praise him for his acts of power;</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.150.2"><span class="content">praise him for his surpassing greatness.</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="PSA.150.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="PSA.150.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="PSA.150.3"><span class="content">praise him with the harp and lyre,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="PSA.150.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="PSA.150.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">praise him with timbrel and dancing,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="PSA.150.4"><span class="content">praise him with the strings and pipe,</span></span></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="PSA.150.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="PSA.150.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">praise him with the clash of cymbals,</span></span></div><div class="q2"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="PSA.150.5"><span class="content">praise him with resounding cymbals.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="PSA.150.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="PSA.150.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">Let everything that has breath praise the </span><span class="nd"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content">.</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="PSA.150.6"><span class="content">Praise the </span><span class="nd"><span class="content">Lord</span></span><span class="content">.</span></span></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkJUD">
      <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="JUD.1">
         <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="JUD.1.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James,</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="JUD.1.1"><span class="content">To those who have been called, who are loved in God the Father and kept for</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:1 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">by</span><span class="ft">; or </span><span class="fqa">in</span></span></span><span class="content"> Jesus Christ:</span></span></div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="JUD.1.1"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="JUD.1.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Sin and Doom of Ungodly People</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="JUD.1.2"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="JUD.1.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="content">Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God&#8217;s holy people. </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="JUD.1.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">For certain individuals whose condemnation was written about</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:4 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="fqa">individuals who were marked out for condemnation</span></span></span><span class="content"> long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="JUD.1.4"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="JUD.1.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="content">Though you already know all this, I want to remind you that the Lord</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:5 </span><span class="ft">Some early manuscripts </span><span class="fqa">Jesus</span></span></span><span class="content"> at one time delivered his people out of Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not believe. </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="JUD.1.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling&#8212;these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day. </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="JUD.1.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="content">In a similar way, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns gave themselves up to sexual immorality and perversion. They serve as an example of those who suffer the punishment of eternal fire.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="JUD.1.7"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="JUD.1.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="content">In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority and heap abuse on celestial beings. </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="JUD.1.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, &#8220;The Lord rebuke you!&#8221;</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:9 </span><span class="ft">Jude is alluding to the Jewish Testament of Moses (approximately the first century <span class="sc">a.d.</span>).</span></span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="JUD.1.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="content">Yet these people slander whatever they do not understand, and the very things they do understand by instinct&#8212;as irrational animals do&#8212;will destroy them.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="JUD.1.10"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="JUD.1.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="content">Woe to them! They have taken the way of Cain; they have rushed for profit into Balaam&#8217;s error; they have been destroyed in Korah&#8217;s rebellion.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="JUD.1.11"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="JUD.1.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="content">These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm&#8212;shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted&#8212;twice dead. </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="JUD.1.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="JUD.1.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="JUD.1.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: &#8220;See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="JUD.1.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.&#8221;</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:15 </span><span class="ft">From the Jewish First Book of Enoch (approximately the first century <span class="sc">b.c.</span>)</span></span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="JUD.1.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">A Call to Persevere</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="JUD.1.16"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="JUD.1.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="content">But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="JUD.1.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">They said to you, &#8220;In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.&#8221; </span></span><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="JUD.1.19"><span class="label">19</span><span class="content">These are the people who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="JUD.1.19"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="JUD.1.20"><span class="label">20</span><span class="content">But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, </span></span><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="JUD.1.21"><span class="label">21</span><span class="content">keep yourselves in God&#8217;s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="JUD.1.21"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="JUD.1.22"><span class="label">22</span><span class="content">Be merciful to those who doubt; </span></span><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="JUD.1.23"><span class="label">23</span><span class="content">save others by snatching them from the fire; to others show mercy, mixed with fear&#8212;hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh.</span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">1:23 </span><span class="ft">The Greek manuscripts of these verses vary at several points.</span></span></span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Doxology</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="JUD.1.23"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v24" data-usfm="JUD.1.24"><span class="label">24</span><span class="content">To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy&#8212; </span></span><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="JUD.1.25"><span class="label">25</span><span class="content">to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.</span></span></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
   <div class="book bkLUK">
      <div class="chapter ch18" data-usfm="LUK.18">
         <div class="label">18</div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Parable of the Persistent Widow</span></div><div class="p"><span class="content">  </span><span class="verse v1" data-usfm="LUK.18.1"><span class="label">1</span><span class="content">Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. </span></span><span class="verse v2" data-usfm="LUK.18.2"><span class="label">2</span><span class="content">He said: </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="LUK.18.3"><span class="label">3</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, &#8216;Grant me justice against my adversary.&#8217;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v3" data-usfm="LUK.18.3"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v4" data-usfm="LUK.18.4"><span class="label">4</span><span class="content">  </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, &#8216;Even though I don&#8217;t fear God or care what people think,</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="LUK.18.5"><span class="label">5</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won&#8217;t eventually come and attack me!&#8217;&#8198;&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v5" data-usfm="LUK.18.5"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v6" data-usfm="LUK.18.6"><span class="label">6</span><span class="content">And the Lord said, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Listen to what the unjust judge says.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v7" data-usfm="LUK.18.7"><span class="label">7</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="LUK.18.8"><span class="label">8</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v8" data-usfm="LUK.18.8"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v9" data-usfm="LUK.18.9"><span class="label">9</span><span class="content">To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: </span></span><span class="verse v10" data-usfm="LUK.18.10"><span class="label">10</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v11" data-usfm="LUK.18.11"><span class="label">11</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: &#8216;God, I thank you that I am not like other people&#8212;robbers, evildoers, adulterers&#8212;or even like this tax collector.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="LUK.18.12"><span class="label">12</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.&#8217;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v12" data-usfm="LUK.18.12"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="LUK.18.13"><span class="label">13</span><span class="content">  </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, &#8216;God, have mercy on me, a sinner.&#8217;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v13" data-usfm="LUK.18.13"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="LUK.18.14"><span class="label">14</span><span class="content">  </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Little Children and Jesus</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v14" data-usfm="LUK.18.14"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v15" data-usfm="LUK.18.15"><span class="label">15</span><span class="content">People were also bringing babies to Jesus for him to place his hands on them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them. </span></span><span class="verse v16" data-usfm="LUK.18.16"><span class="label">16</span><span class="content">But Jesus called the children to him and said, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="LUK.18.17"><span class="label">17</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">The Rich and the Kingdom of God</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v17" data-usfm="LUK.18.17"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="LUK.18.18"><span class="label">18</span><span class="content">A certain ruler asked him, &#8220;Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v18" data-usfm="LUK.18.18"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v19" data-usfm="LUK.18.19"><span class="label">19</span><span class="content">  </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Why do you call me good?&#8221;</span></span><span class="content"> Jesus answered. </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;No one is good&#8212;except God alone.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="LUK.18.20"><span class="label">20</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">You know the commandments: &#8216;You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.&#8217;</span></span><span class="note f"><span class="label">#</span><span class=" body"><span class="fr">18:20 </span><span class="ft"><span class="ref" data-usfm="EXO.20.12+EXO.20.13+EXO.20.14+EXO.20.15+EXO.20.16">Exodus 20:12-16</span>; <span class="ref" data-usfm="DEU.5.16+DEU.5.17+DEU.5.18+DEU.5.19+DEU.5.20">Deut. 5:16-20</span></span></span></span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v20" data-usfm="LUK.18.20"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="LUK.18.21"><span class="label">21</span><span class="content">&#8220;All these I have kept since I was a boy,&#8221; he said.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v21" data-usfm="LUK.18.21"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="LUK.18.22"><span class="label">22</span><span class="content">When Jesus heard this, he said to him, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v22" data-usfm="LUK.18.22"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v23" data-usfm="LUK.18.23"><span class="label">23</span><span class="content">When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was very wealthy. </span></span><span class="verse v24" data-usfm="LUK.18.24"><span class="label">24</span><span class="content">Jesus looked at him and said, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="LUK.18.25"><span class="label">25</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v25" data-usfm="LUK.18.25"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="LUK.18.26"><span class="label">26</span><span class="content">Those who heard this asked, &#8220;Who then can be saved?&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v26" data-usfm="LUK.18.26"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v27" data-usfm="LUK.18.27"><span class="label">27</span><span class="content">Jesus replied, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;What is impossible with man is possible with God.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v27" data-usfm="LUK.18.27"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="LUK.18.28"><span class="label">28</span><span class="content">Peter said to him, &#8220;We have left all we had to follow you!&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v28" data-usfm="LUK.18.28"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v29" data-usfm="LUK.18.29"><span class="label">29</span><span class="content">  </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Truly I tell you,&#8221;</span></span><span class="content"> Jesus said to them, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;no one who has left home or wife or brothers or sisters or parents or children for the sake of the kingdom of God</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v30" data-usfm="LUK.18.30"><span class="label">30</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">will fail to receive many times as much in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">Jesus Predicts His Death a Third Time</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v30" data-usfm="LUK.18.30"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v31" data-usfm="LUK.18.31"><span class="label">31</span><span class="content">Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v32" data-usfm="LUK.18.32"><span class="label">32</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him;</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v33" data-usfm="LUK.18.33"><span class="label">33</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v33" data-usfm="LUK.18.33"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v34" data-usfm="LUK.18.34"><span class="label">34</span><span class="content">The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.</span></span></div><div class="s1"><span class="heading">A Blind Beggar Receives His Sight</span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v34" data-usfm="LUK.18.34"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v35" data-usfm="LUK.18.35"><span class="label">35</span><span class="content">As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. </span></span><span class="verse v36" data-usfm="LUK.18.36"><span class="label">36</span><span class="content">When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. </span></span><span class="verse v37" data-usfm="LUK.18.37"><span class="label">37</span><span class="content">They told him, &#8220;Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v37" data-usfm="LUK.18.37"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v38" data-usfm="LUK.18.38"><span class="label">38</span><span class="content">He called out, &#8220;Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v38" data-usfm="LUK.18.38"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v39" data-usfm="LUK.18.39"><span class="label">39</span><span class="content">Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, &#8220;Son of David, have mercy on me!&#8221;</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v39" data-usfm="LUK.18.39"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v40" data-usfm="LUK.18.40"><span class="label">40</span><span class="content">Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, </span></span><span class="verse v41" data-usfm="LUK.18.41"><span class="label">41</span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;What do you want me to do for you?&#8221;</span></span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v41" data-usfm="LUK.18.41"><span class="content">&#8220;Lord, I want to see,&#8221; he replied.</span></span></div><div class="p"><span class="verse v41" data-usfm="LUK.18.41"><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v42" data-usfm="LUK.18.42"><span class="label">42</span><span class="content">Jesus said to him, </span><span class="wj"><span class="content">&#8220;Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.&#8221;</span></span><span class="content">  </span></span><span class="verse v43" data-usfm="LUK.18.43"><span class="label">43</span><span class="content">Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.</span></span></div>
      </div>
   </div>
</div>

The Solid Life PlanSample

Scripture

About this Plan

Related Plans