Formation Journal Reading Plan

6:1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men:

6:2 a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

6:3 If a man beget a hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul be not filled with good, and moreover he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he:

6:4 for it cometh in vanity, and departeth in darkness, and the name thereof is covered with darkness;

6:5 moreover it hath not seen the sun nor known it; this hath rest rather than the other:

6:6 yea, though he live a thousand years twice told, and yet enjoy no good, do not all go to one place?

6:7 All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled.

6:8 For what advantage hath the wise more than the fool? or what hath the poor man, that knoweth how to walk before the living?

6:9 Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire: this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

6:10 Whatsoever hath been, the name thereof was given long ago; and it is known what man is; neither can he contend with him that is mightier than he.

6:11 Seeing there are many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?

6:12 For who knoweth what is good for man in his life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

7:1 A good name is better than precious oil; and the day of death, than the day of one’s birth.

7:2 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.

7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made glad.

7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

7:5 It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

7:7 Surely extortion maketh the wise man foolish; and a bribe destroyeth the understanding.

7:8 Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

7:9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry; for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.

7:10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire wisely concerning this.

7:11 Wisdom is as good as an inheritance; yea, more excellent is it for them that see the sun.

7:12 For wisdom is a defence, even as money is a defence; but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom preserveth the life of him that hath it.

7:13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked?

7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider; yea, God hath made the one side by side with the other, to the end that man should not find out anything that shall be after him.

7:15 All this have I seen in my days of vanity: there is a righteous man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his evil-doing.

7:16 Be not righteous overmuch; neither make thyself overwise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself?

7:17 Be not overmuch wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time?

7:18 It is good that thou shouldest take hold of this; yea, also from that withdraw not thy hand: for he that feareth God shall come forth from them all.

7:19 Wisdom is a strength to the wise man more than ten rulers that are in a city.

7:20 Surely there is not a righteous man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

7:21 Also take not heed unto all words that are spoken, lest thou hear thy servant curse thee;

7:22 for oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others.

7:23 All this have I proved in wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

7:24 That which is, is far off and exceeding deep; who can find it out?

7:25 I turned about, and my heart was set to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the reason of things, and to know that wickedness is folly, and that foolishness is madness.

7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.

7:27 Behold, this have I found, saith the Preacher, laying one thing to another, to find out the account;

7:28 which my soul still seeketh, but I have not found: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

7:29 Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.

69:16 Answer me, O Jehovah; for thy lovingkindness is good: According to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto me.

69:17 And hide not thy face from thy servant; For I am in distress; answer me speedily.

69:18 Draw nigh unto my soul, and redeem it: Ransom me because of mine enemies.

69:19 Thou knowest my reproach, and my shame, and my dishonor: Mine adversaries are all before thee.

69:20 Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: And I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; And for comforters, but I found none.

69:21 They gave me also gall for my food; And in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

69:22 Let their table before them become a snare; And when they are in peace, let it become a trap.

69:23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see; And make their loins continually to shake.

69:24 Pour out thine indignation upon them, And let the fierceness of thine anger overtake them.

69:25 Let their habitation be desolate; Let none dwell in their tents.

69:26 For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; And they tell of the sorrow of those whom thou hast wounded.

69:27 Add iniquity unto their iniquity; And let them not come into thy righteousness.

69:28 Let them be blotted out of the book of life, And not be written with the righteous.

69:29 But I am poor and sorrowful: Let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high.

69:30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify him with thanksgiving.

69:31 And it will please Jehovah better than an ox, Or a bullock that hath horns and hoofs.

69:32 The meek have seen it, and are glad: Ye that seek after God, let your heart live.

69:33 For Jehovah heareth the needy, And despiseth not his prisoners.

69:34 Let heaven and earth praise him, The seas, and everything that moveth therein.

69:35 For God will save Zion, and build the cities of Judah; And they shall abide there, and have it in possession.

69:36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit it; And they that love his name shall dwell therein.

3:7 But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away:

3:8 how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory?

3:9 For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory.

3:10 For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth.

3:11 For if that which passeth away was with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.

3:12 Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech,

3:13 and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away:

3:14 but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ.

3:15 But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart.

3:16 But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

3:17 Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.

4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, even as we obtained mercy, we faint not:

4:2 but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

4:3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish:

4:4 in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them.

4:5 For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.

4:6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;

4:8 we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair;

4:9 pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed;

4:10 always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body.

4:11 For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

4:12 So then death worketh in us, but life in you.

4:13 But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, I believed, and therefore did I speak; we also believe, and therefore also we speak;

4:14 knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall present us with you.

4:15 For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God.

4:16 Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.

4:17 For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;

4:18 while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.