I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also [was] vanity.

I said of laughter -- "Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"

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 take [it] to heart.

The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth.

For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So [is] the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity.

Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Belshazzar the king made a great feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine in the presence of the thousand.

Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken from the temple of the house of God which [had been] in Jerusalem; and the king and his lords, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.

In the same hour the fingers of a man's hand appeared and wrote opposite the lampstand on the plaster of the wall of the king's palace; and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.

The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. The king spoke, saying to the wise [men] of Babylon, "Whoever reads this writing, and tells me its interpretation, shall be clothed with purple and [have] a chain of gold around his neck; and he shall be the third ruler in the kingdom."

Then King Belshazzar was greatly troubled, his countenance was changed, and his lords were astonished.

"There is a man in your kingdom in whom [is] the Spirit of the Holy God. And in the days of your father, light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar your father -- your father the king -- made him chief of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, [and] soothsayers.

For we [have spent] enough of our past lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles -- when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries.

Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works.

And wine [that] makes glad the heart of man, Oil to make [his] face shine, And bread [which] strengthens man's heart.

[There is] a cry for wine in the streets, All joy is darkened, The mirth of the land is gone.

Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart [was] merry within him, for he [was] very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light.

Now Absalom had commanded his servants, saying, "Watch now, when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon!' then kill him. Do not be afraid. Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and valiant."

'And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, [and] be merry." '

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

Wisdom [is] good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.

For wisdom [is] a defense [as] money [is] a defense, But the excellence of knowledge [is that] wisdom gives life to those who have it.

Then King David said to Ornan, "No, but I will surely buy [it] for the full price, for I will not take what is yours for the LORD, nor offer burnt offerings with [that which] costs [me] nothing."

"Now for the house of my God I have prepared with all my might: gold for [things to be made of] gold, silver for [things of] silver, bronze for [things of] bronze, iron for [things of] iron, wood for [things of] wood, onyx stones, [stones] to be set, glistening stones of various colors, all kinds of precious stones, and marble slabs in abundance.

"three thousand talents of gold, of the gold of Ophir, and seven thousand talents of refined silver, to overlay the walls of the houses;

Then the leaders of the fathers' [houses,] leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king's work, offered willingly.

And whoever had [precious] stones gave [them] to the treasury of the house of the LORD, into the hand of Jehiel the Gershonite.

So it was, at that time, when the chest was brought to the king's official by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that [there was] much money, that the king's scribe and the high priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.

So the workmen labored, and the work was completed by them; they restored the house of God to its original condition and reinforced it.

And all those who [were] around them encouraged them with articles of silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with precious things, besides all [that] was willingly offered.

and [whereas you are] to carry the silver and gold which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose dwelling [is] in Jerusalem;

now therefore, be careful to buy with this money bulls, rams, and lambs, with their grain offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them on the altar of the house of your God in Jerusalem.

And I said to them, "According to our ability we have redeemed our Jewish brethren who were sold to the nations. Now indeed, will you even sell your brethren? Or should they be sold to us?" Then they were silenced and found nothing [to say.]

He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever; His horn will be exalted with honor.

Her gain and her pay will be set apart for the LORD; it will not be treasured nor laid up, for her gain will be for those who dwell before the LORD, to eat sufficiently, and for fine clothing.

"Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you."

Jesus said to him, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me."

and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for Him from their substance.

"And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home.

and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.

Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only.

Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.