I, Qohelet, began to reign over Israel in Jerusalem. I gave my heart to looking and exploring with worldy-wisdom everything that’s done under the the heavens.
God gave a bad business to the children of Adam to be busy with.
I looked at all the deeds done under the Sun. There, everything is mere-breath, a striving after wind.
Something crooked cannot be straightened and what is missing cannot be counted.
Thank you, dear Jesus, for all you have given me, for all you have taken away from me, for all you have left me.
4A generation goes, a generation comes; the earth stands for all time.
5The sun rises and the sun sets and rushes to its place where it rises.
6The wind goes to the south and turns round to the north, it turns, turns as it goes, and on its turnings the wind goes back. 7All the wadis go to the sea, but the sea isn’t full; to the place where the wadis go, there they go again.
8All the things are laborious; no one could speak of it. The eye isn’t replete as regards looking, the ear isn’t full as regards listening. 9What has happened is what will happen; what has occurred is what will occur; there’s nothing new under the sun. 10Where there is a thing that someone says, ‘See this, it’s new’, Already it has happened for ages that were before us.
11There is no commemoration for the earlier people, and also for future people who are to come. For them there will be no commemoration, with the people who will be in the future.
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: Where there is hatred, let me sow love; Where there is injury, pardon; Where there is discord, union; Where there is doubt, faith; Where there is despair, hope; Where there is darkness, light; Where there is sadness, joy, For your mercy and for your truth’s sake. Amen
The words of Qohelet son of David King in Jerusalem:
Mere-breath of mere-breaths says Qohelet Mere-breath of mere-breaths everything is a mere-breath
What is the advantage for a person In all their hard work at which their work under the sun?
Eternal Light, shine into our hearts, Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, Eternal Power, be our support, Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us; that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength we may seek thy face and be brought by thine infinite mercy to thy holy presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Therefore, beloved, waiting for these things do your best to be found by him spotless and blemishless in peace and consider the patience of our Lord salvation just as our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him speaking in all the letters (in them) about these things in which some things are hard to understand which ignorant and unstable people twist to their own destruction as they also (do) to the other scriptures.
So you, beloved having been warned beforehand be on guard so that you may not be led astray by the error of wicked people and fall from your firm position, Grow in grace and knowledge from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To him be glory both now and on the day of eternity.
(Amen)
Eternal Light, shine into our hearts, Eternal Goodness, deliver us from evil, Eternal Power, be our support, Eternal Wisdom, scatter the darkness of our ignorance, Eternal Pity, have mercy upon us; that with all our heart and mind and soul and strength we may seek thy face and be brought by thine infinite mercy to thy holy presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
And the day of the Lord will come like a thief, on which the heavens will disappear with a roar, the heavenly bodies will be burned up, and the earth and every deed (done) on it will be ‘uncovered’.
As all these things are to be dissolved in this way, what sort (of person) is it necessary (for us us) be? – in holy ways of life or godly acts? waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of our God because of which the heavens will be burnt up and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn
But we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth according to his promise1, in which righteousness dwells.
Isaiah 65: 17 See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. ↩︎
Lord, you have given me so much, I ask for one more thing – a grateful heart.
Do not let this one thing be forgotten by you beloved, because one day (in the sight) of the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years is like one day. 1 But the Lord of the promise is not slow2 as some consider slowness, but he is patient with you, not wishing for any to be destroyed but all to come to repentance.
Be thou a bright flame before me, Be thou a guiding star above me Be thou a smooth path below me Be thou a kindly shepherd behind me Today – tonight -forever Amen.
For this escapes them – those who wish it this way,
that the heavens and (the) earth were long ago formed out of water and by means of water, by the word of the Lord.
Through which the then world by flooding with water perished.
So now the heavens and the earth by the same word stored up for fire until the day of judgement and destruction of the ungodly people.
O Love, O God who created me, in your love recreate me. O Love, who redeemed me, fill up in me whatever part of your love has fallen into neglect within me. O Love, O God, who first loved me, grant that with my whole heart, and with my whole soul, and with my whole strength, I may love you.
Already this is, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you, in which I am stirring up your sincere mind with a reminder: to remember the predictive words of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles
First know this scoffers (with scoffing) will be coming in the last days going according to their own evil desires and saying: Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep all things have remained like this from the beginning of the Creation.
Grant, Lord, that we may hold to you without parting, worship you without wearying, serve you without failing; faithfully seek you, happily find you, and forever possess you, the only God,blessed now and for ever. Amen
For if having escaped the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, they (the false teachers?) having been entangled are defeated again by them (the pollutions) – The last (condition) would be worse for them than the first. 1 For it was better for them not to have come to know the way of righteousness, than to turn from the holy command, that has been given (to them). The true proverb has happened to them A dog returns to its vomit,2 and A sow washes herself (by) wallowing in the mud.
Lord God, you feed us with the living bread from heaven; you renew our faith, increase our hope, and strengthen our love.
Teach us to hunger for Christ who is the true and living bread, and to live by every word that comes from your mouth, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
These people are waterless springs, and mists propelled by a storm, for whom the gloom, that is the darkness, has been kept. For speaking boastful words of folly, they ensnare by fleshly desires by sensuality those who are barely escaping from those who live in error, promising freedom to them they are slaves of corruption. Because whatever/ whoever defeats one, to this, one is enslaved.
O Lord Jesus Christ, stay beside me to defend me, within me to guide me, before me to lead me, and above me to bless me, that with you and in you, I may live, and move and have my being, for ever and ever. Amen.