Ecclesiastes 11
Cast Your Bread upon the Water
1 Cast your bread upon the face of the water, For you will find it after many days.†
2 Give a portion to seven and also to eight, For you do not know what evil there will be on the earth.
3 If the clouds are full of rain, they pour it out upon the earth, And if a tree falls to the south or to the north, In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.
4 He who observes the wind will not sow, And he who sees the clouds will not reap.
5 As you do not know the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her Who is with child, So you do not know the works of God, Even all things whatever He will do.
6 In the morning sow your seed, And in the evening do not withhold your hand; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.
7 The light is sweet, And it is good for the eyes To behold the sun.
8 For if a man lives many years And rejoices in them all, Yet let him remember the days of darkness, For they shall be many. All that comes is vanity.
Follow God in Your Youth
9 Be glad, O young man, in your youth, And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart And in the sight of your eyes; But know for all this That God will bring you into judgment.
10 Therefore remove anger from your heart And pass by evil with your flesh, For youth and lack of understanding are vanity.
Ecclesiastes 12
1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come And the years arrive when you say,†
2 While the sun and the light, The moon and the stars Are not darkened, And the clouds do not return after the rain;
3 In the day when the keepers of the house tremble, And the men of strength are led astray; When the women who grind the grain become idle Because they are few; When the women who look out the windows Will remain in darkness;
4 When the doors are shut in the marketplace, And the sound of grinding is low; When one rises up at the sound of a sparrow, And all the daughters of song are brought low.
5 Also they will look from the height, And there are terrors in the way; When the almond tree blossoms, The grasshopper grows fat, And the caper plant is scattered. For man goes to his eternal home, And the mourners go about the marketplace.†
6 Remember your Creator until the silver cord is removed, And the golden flower is pressed together, And the pitcher is shattered at the fountain, And the wheel runs together at the well;
7 Then the dust returns to the earth as it was, And the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “All is vanity.”†
9 Because the Preacher was wise more than others, he taught the people knowledge; and the ear will search out his well-ordered proverbs.
10 The Preacher sought diligently to find desirable words, and what was written is upright; they are words of truth.
11 The words of the wise are like pointed sticks, like nails firmly fastened; they are given from the collections and abound from them by one Shepherd.
12 Moreover, my son, guard yourself, for there is no end to the making of many books, and much study is weariness of the flesh.
13 Hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God And keep His commandments, For this is the whole man.
14 For God will bring every work into judgment, Including everything that has been overlooked, Whether it be good or evil.
Psalms 132
1 An ode of ascents; by David. Behold now, what is so good or so pleasant As for brothers to dwell together in unity?
2 It is like fragrant oil running down upon the beard, The beard of Aaron, Running down upon the border of his garment;
3 It is like the dew of Hermon, running down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the Lord commanded the blessing And life forever.
Psalms 133
1 An ode of ascents. Behold now, bless the Lord, All you servants of the Lord, Who stand in the house of the Lord, In the courts of the house of our God.
2 In the nights, lift up your hands to the holy of holies And bless the Lord.
3 May the Lord bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.
Proverbs 28
21 He who works his own land shall be satisfied with bread, But he who pursues leisure shall be filled with poverty.
22 A trustworthy man shall be blessed in many things, But an evil man shall not go unpunished.
23 He who does not respect righteous people is not good; Such a man will sell another for a morsel of bread.
24 An envious man hastens to be rich, But does not know that a merciful man shall have the mastery over him.
25 He who reproves a man’s ways Shall have more grace than he who flatters him.
John 19
Care for Mary
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.†
26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”
27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
Jesus’ Death
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”†
29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.
30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.†
His Side Is Pierced
31 Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.†
35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.
36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.”
37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
The Burial of Jesus
38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.†
39 And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds.
40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.