and will bring the entire army back to you. In exchange for the life of the man you are seeking, you will get back everyone.<n id="1" /> The entire army will return unharmed.&#8221;<n id="2" />p>

Mephibosheth said to the king, &#8220;Let him have<n id="1" /> the whole thing! My lord the king has returned safely<n id="2" /> to his house!&#8221;p>

The inside of the temple was all cedar and was adorned with carvings of round ornaments and of flowers in bloom. Everything was cedar; no stones were visible.<n id="1" />p>

The king of Babylon deported to Babylon all the soldiers (there were 7,000), as well as 1,000 craftsmen and metal workers. This included all the best warriors.<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;But who am I and who are my people, that we should be in a position to contribute this much?<n id="1" /> Indeed, everything comes from you, and we have simply given back to you what is yours.<n id="2" />

O <sc>Lordsc> our God, all this wealth, which we have collected to build a temple for you to honor your holy name, comes from you; it all belongs to you.

Make my son Solomon willing to obey your commands, rules, and regulations, and to complete building the palace for which I have made preparations.&#8221;<n id="1" />p>

In one day King Pekah son of Remaliah of Israel killed 120,000 warriors in Judah, because they had abandoned the <sc>Lordsc> God of their ancestors.<n id="1" />

When the edict was issued,<n id="1" /> the Israelites freely contributed<n id="2" /> the initial portion of their grain, wine, olive oil, honey, and all the produce of their fields. They brought a tenth of everything, which added up to a huge amount.

He carried away to Babylon all the items in God&#8217;s temple, whether large or small, as well as what was in the treasuries of the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s temple and in the treasuries of the king and his officials.

<p class="bodytext">All these gold and silver vessels totaled 5,400.<n id="1" /> Sheshbazzar brought them all along when the captives were brought up from Babylon to Jerusalem.p>

<p class="bodytext">The gatekeepers:<n id="1" /> the descendants of Shallum, the descendants of Ater, the descendants of Talmon, the descendants of Akkub, the descendants of Hatita, and the descendants of Shobai: 139.p>

<p class="poetry">Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="3" /> &#8220;All these<n id="4" /> achievements and possessions<n id="5" /> are ultimately<n id="6" /> profitless<n id="7" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">like chasing the wind!p> <p class="poetry">There is nothing gained<n id="8" /> from them<n id="9" /> on earth.&#8221;<n id="10" />p>

<p class="poetry">For the wise man, like<n id="1" /> the fool, will not be remembered for very long,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because<n id="3" /> in the days to come, both will already have been forgotten.<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">Alas,<n id="5" /> the wise man dies &#8211; just like<n id="6" /> the fool!p>

<p class="poetry">So I loathed<n id="1" /> life<n id="2" /> because whatp> <p class="poetry">happens<n id="3" /> on earth<n id="4" /> seems awful to me;p> <p class="poetry">for all the benefits of wisdom<n id="5" /> are futile &#8211; like chasing the wind.p>

<p class="poetry">if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.p> <p class="poetry">For both of them die!<n id="1" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">During the days of my fleeting life<n id="1" /> I have seen both<n id="2" /> of these things:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes<n id="3" /> a righteous person dies prematurely<n id="4" /> in spite of<n id="5" /> his righteousness,p> <p class="poetry">and sometimes<n id="6" /> a wicked person lives long<n id="7" /> in spite of his evil deeds.p>

<p class="poetry">Having heard everything, I have reached this conclusion:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">Fear God and keep his commandments,p> <p class="poetry">because this is the whole duty<n id="2" /> of man.p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>, who is the inheritance<n id="1" /> of Jacob&#8217;s descendants,<n id="2" /> is not like them.p> <p class="poetry">He is the one who created everything.p> <p class="poetry">And the people of Israel are those he claims as his own.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">He is known as the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.&#8221;<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">The <sc>Lordsc>, who is the portion of the descendants of Jacob, is not like them.p> <p class="poetry">For he is the one who created everything,p> <p class="poetry">including the people of Israel whom he claims as his own.<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">He is known as the <sc>Lordsc> who rules over all.<n id="2" />p>