Ecclesiastes 7:2 Cross References - LEB

² Better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for death is the end of every person, and the living should take it to his heart.

¹ And it happened that after these things, it was said to Joseph, "Behold, your father is ill." And he took his two sons with him, Ephraim and Manasseh. ² And it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel strengthened himself and he sat up in the bed. ³ Then Jacob said to Joseph, "El-Shaddai* appeared to me in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, ⁴ and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and make you numerous, and will make you a company of nations. And I will give this land to your offspring after you as an everlasting possession.' ⁵ And now, your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you in Egypt, are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. ⁶ And your children whom you father after them shall be yours. By the name of their brothers they shall be called, with respect to their inheritance. ⁷ As for me, when I came to Paddan-Aram Rachel died _⌊to my sorrow_⌋* in the land of Canaan on the way when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)." ⁸ When Israel saw the sons of Joseph he said, "Who are these?" ⁹ Then Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons whom God has given me here." And he said, "Please bring them to me that I may bless them." ¹⁰ Now the eyes of Israel were dim* on account of old age; he was not able to see. So he brought them near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them. ¹¹ And Israel said to Joseph, "I did not expect to see your face and behold, God has also shown me your offspring." ¹² Then Joseph removed them from his knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. ¹³ And Joseph took the two of them, Ephraim at his right to the left of Israel, and Manasseh at his left to the right of Israel. And he brought them near to him. ¹⁴ And Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim (now he was the younger), and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn. ¹⁵ And he blessed Joseph and said,
"The God before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, walked, The God who shepherded me _⌊all my life_⌋* unto this day, ¹⁶ The angel who redeemed me from all evil, may he bless the boys. And through them let my name be perpetuated,* and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac. And let them multiply into many in the midst of the earth. ¹⁷ When Joseph saw that his father put his right hand on the head of Ephraim, he was displeased. And he took hold of his father's hand to remove it from the head of Ephraim over to the head of Manasseh. ¹⁸ And Joseph said to his father, "Not so, my father; because this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand upon his head." ¹⁹ But his father refused and said, "I know, my son; I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than him, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." ²⁰ So he blessed them that day, saying,
Through you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying, 'May God make you like Ephraim and like Manasseh.'"
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ²¹ And Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your ancestors.* ²² And I have given to you one slope of land rather than your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorites by my sword and with my bow."

² Assemble and hear, O sons of Jacob! Listen to Israel your father! ³ Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength, and the firstfruit of my vigor, excelling in rank and excelling in power. ⁴ Unstable* as water, you shall not excel any longer, for you went up upon the bed of your father, then defiled it. You went up upon my couch! ⁵ Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let me* not come into their council. ⁶ Let not my person* be joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and at their pleasure they hamstrung cattle. ⁷ Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel. I will divide them in Jacob, and I will scatter them in Israel. ⁸ Judah, as for you, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. The sons of your father shall bow down to you. ⁹ Judah is a lion's cub. From the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bowed down; he crouched like a lion and as a lioness. Who shall rouse him? ¹⁰ The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff between his feet, until Shiloh comes. And to him shall be the obedience of nations. ¹¹ Binding his donkey to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he washes his clothing in the wine and his garment in the blood of grapes. ¹² The eyes are darker than wine, and the teeth whiter than milk. ¹³ Zebulun shall settle by the shore of the sea. He shall become a haven for ships, and his border shall be at Sidon. ¹⁴ Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds. ¹⁵ He saw a resting place that was good, and land that was pleasant. So he bowed his shoulder to the burden and became a servant of forced labor. ¹⁶ Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel. ¹⁷ Dan shall be a serpent on the way, a viper on the road that bites the heels of a horse, so that its rider falls backward. ¹⁸ I wait for your salvation, O Yahweh. ¹⁹ Bandits shall attack Gad, but he shall attack their heels. ²⁰ Asher's food is delicious, and he shall provide from the king's delicacies. ²¹ Naphtali is a doe running free that puts forth beautiful words. ²² Joseph is the bough* of a fruitful vine, a fruitful bough* by a spring. His branches climb over the wall. ²³ _⌊The archers_⌋* fiercely attacked him. They shot arrows at him and were hostile to him. ²⁴ But his bow remained in a steady position; _⌊his arms_⌋* were made agile by the hands of the Mighty One of Jacob. From there is the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel. ²⁵ Because of the God of your father he will help you and by Shaddai* he will bless you with the blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that crouches beneath, blessings of the breasts and the womb. ²⁶ The blessings of your father are superior to the blessings of my ancestors, to the bounty of the everlasting hills. May they be on the head of Joseph, and on the forehead of the prince of his brothers. ²⁷ Benjamin is a devouring wolf, devouring the prey in the morning, and dividing the plunder in the evening. ²⁸ All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, each according to their blessing. ²⁹ Then he instructed them and said to them, "I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me among my ancestors* in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, ³⁰ in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah that is before* Mamre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as a burial site. ³¹ There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife. And there I buried Leah— ³² the purchase of the field and the cave which was in it from the Hittites." ³³ When Jacob finished instructing his sons he drew his feet up to the bed. Then he took his last breath and was gathered to his people.

¹⁵ And when the brothers of Joseph saw that their father was dead, they said, "It may be that Joseph will hold a grudge against us and pay us back dearly for all the evil that we did to him." ¹⁶ So they sent word to Joseph saying, "Your father commanded us before his death, saying, ¹⁷ "Thus you must say to Joseph, 'O, please now forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, for they did evil to you.' So now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father." And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob, or as a number the fourth part of Israel? Let my life die the death of an upright person, and let my end be like his!"

²⁹ If only they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern _⌊for themselves their end_⌋.*

⁴⁶ then he said to them, "_⌊Take to heart all the words_⌋* that I am admonishing against you _⌊today_⌋* concerning which you should instruct them with respect to your children* _⌊so that they will observe diligently_⌋* all the words of this law,

⁴ And his sons used to go and hold a feast _⌊at each other's house_⌋* on his day, and they would send, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. ⁵ _⌊Then when_⌋* the days of the feast had run their course, _⌊Job would send_⌋,* and he would sanctify them. Thus* he would arise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of all of them, because Job thought,* "Perhaps my children have sinned and _⌊cursed_⌋* God in their heart." This is what Job used to do _⌊all the time_⌋.*

¹² So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

¹¹ Ah! Those who rise early in the morning, they pursue strong drink. Those who linger in the evening, wine inflames them. ¹² And there will be lyre and harp, tambourine and flute, and wine at their feasts, but they do not look at the deeds* of Yahweh, and they do not see the work of his hands.

¹² And the Lord, Yahweh of hosts, called on that day
for weeping and mourning, and for baldness and girding _⌊with_⌋* sackcloth. ¹³ But look! Joy and gladness, the killing of oxen* and the slaughtering of sheep, the eating of meat and the drinking of wine! "Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" ¹⁴ And it was revealed in my ears by Yahweh of hosts:
"Surely this sin will not be atoned for you until you die!" says the Lord, Yahweh of hosts.

⁷ And you said, "I shall be an eternal mistress forever!" You did not set these things upon your heart; you did not remember its end.

³ You that put off the day of disaster and bring near a reign of violence! ⁴ Alas for those who lie on beds of ivory and lounge on their couches, and those eating young rams from the sheep and goats, and bull-calves from the middle of the animal stall. ⁵ Alas for those who sing to the tune of the harp; like David they improvise on instruments of music. ⁶ Alas for those who drink from sprinkling bowls of wine and anoint themselves with the best of olive oils and are not grieved over the ruin of Joseph.

⁵ And so then, thus says Yahweh of hosts: '_⌊Consider your ways_⌋!*

² If you will not listen, and if you will not _⌊take it to heart_⌋* to give glory to my name," says Yahweh of hosts, "then I will send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings; moreover I have already cursed them because _⌊you are not taking it to heart_⌋.*

⁴ Blessed are the ones who mourn, because they will be comforted.

⁶ But when* Herod's birthday celebration took place, the daughter of Herodias danced in the midst of them and pleased Herod. ⁷ Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked. ⁸ And coached by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!" ⁹ And although* the king was distressed, because of his oaths and his _⌊dinner guests_⌋* he commanded the request* to be granted. ¹⁰ And he sent orders* and* had John beheaded in the prison, ¹¹ and his head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it* to her mother. ¹² And his disciples came and* took away the corpse and buried it, and went and* told Jesus.

²¹ Therefore what sort of fruit did you have then, about which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. ²² But now, having been set free from sin and having been enslaved to God, you have your fruit leading to sanctification, and its end is eternal life.

¹⁹ whose end is destruction, whose God is the stomach, and whose glory is in their shame, the ones who think on earthly things.

²⁷ And _⌊just as_⌋* it is destined for people to die once, and after this, judgment,

³ For the time that has passed was sufficient _⌊to do what the Gentiles desire to do_⌋*, having lived in licentiousness, evil desires, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries, ⁴ with respect to which they are surprised when* you do not run with them into the same flood of dissipation, and so they* revile you.