Ecclesiastes 11:9

Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God

11:9 Rejoice, young man, while you are young, ¹ 

and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.

Follow the impulses ²  of your heart and the desires ³  of your eyes,

but know that God will judge your motives and actions. ⁴ 

Jeremiah 17:9

17:9 The human mind is more deceitful than anything else.

It is incurably bad. ⁵  Who can understand it?

Mark 7:21-23

7:21 For from within, out of the human heart, come evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 7:22 adultery, greed, evil, deceit, debauchery, envy, slander, pride, and folly. 7:23 All these evils come from within and defile a person.”

Hebrews 3:12-13

3:12 See to it, ⁶  brothers and sisters, ⁷  that none of you has ⁸  an evil, unbelieving heart that forsakes ⁹  the living God. ¹⁰  3:13 But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception.

Hebrews 10:38

10:38 But my righteous one will live by faith, and if he shrinks back, I ¹¹  take no pleasure in him. ¹² 

James 1:14-15

1:14 But each one is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. 1:15 Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full grown, it gives birth to death.

Jude 1:19

1:19 These people are divisive, ¹³  worldly, ¹⁴  devoid of the Spirit. ¹⁵ 

[11:9]  ¹ tn Heb “in your youth”; or “in your childhood.”

[11:9]  ² tn Heb “walk in the ways of your heart.”

[11:9]  ³ tn Heb “the sight.”

[11:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “and know that concerning all these God will bring you into judgment.” The point is not that following one’s impulses and desires is inherently bad and will bring condemnation from God. Rather the point seems to be: As you follow your impulses and desires, realize that all you think and do will eventually be evaluated by God. So one must seek joy within the boundaries of God’s moral standards.

[17:9]  ⁵ tn Or “incurably deceitful”; Heb “It is incurable.” For the word “deceitful” compare the usage of the verb in Gen 27:36 and a related noun in 2 Kgs 10:19. For the adjective “incurable” compare the usage in Jer 15:18. It is most commonly used with reference to wounds or of pain. In Jer 17:16 it is used metaphorically for a “woeful day” (i.e., day of irreparable devastation).

[3:12]  ⁶ tn Or “take care.”

[3:12]  ⁷ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 2:11.

[3:12]  ⁸ tn Grk “that there not be in any of you.”

[3:12]  ⁹ tn Or “deserts,” “rebels against.”

[3:12]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “in forsaking the living God.”

[10:38]  ¹¹ tn Grk “my soul.”

[10:38]  ¹² sn A quotation from Hab 2:4.

[1:19]  ¹³ tn Grk “these are the ones who cause divisions.”

[1:19]  ¹⁴ tn Or “natural,” that is, living on the level of instincts, not on a spiritual level (the same word occurs in 1 Cor 2:14 as a description of nonbelievers).

[1:19]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “not having [the] Spirit.”