Ecclesiastes -- Introduction to Ecclesiastes: The legacy of skepticism (Eccl. 1:1-3) -- Reflections on a royal point of view (Eccl. 1:4-11) -- Conclusions drawn from creation (Eccl. 1:12-18) -- What is crooked cannot be made straight (Eccl. 1:12-18) -- The challenge of understanding pleasure (Eccl. 2:1-11) -- Is wisdom worth it? (Eccl. 2:12-17) -- A review of toil, profit, wisdom and folly (Eccl. 2:18-26) -- Everything in its place (Eccl. 3:1-15) -- Imagining a world of justice (Eccl. 3:16-22) -- The relative good vs the absolute good (Eccl. 4:1-16) -- Honesty (Eccl. 5:1-7) -- Enjoyment is God's gift (Eccl. 5:8-6:9) -- Restating the problem: What is good? (Eccl. 6:10-7:14) -- Response to human nature (Eccl. 7:15-29) -- The task of restraining the wind (Eccl. 8:1-17) -- Live life in the present, because death stalks (Eccl. 9:1-10) -- Life turns on unrecognizable detail (Eccl. 9:11-10:15) -- The realities of human society (Eccl. 10:16-11:6) -- Conclusion: On human destiny (Eccl. 11:7-12:8) -- Distance makes the difference (Eccl. 12:9-14).
Proverbs with purpose (Prov. 1:1-7) -- Prosperity from greed (Prov. 1:8-19) -- Wisdom's security Prov. 1:20-33) -- The teacher's syllabus (Prov. 2:1-22) -- Wisdom's absolute surrender (Prov. 3:1-12) -- Wisdom's incomparability (Prov. 3:13-20) -- Wisdom for community life (Prov. 3:21-35) -- The wisdom of experience (Prov. 3:21-35) -- The wisdom of experience (Prov. 4:1-9) -- The way of life (Prov. 4:10-19) -- The heart of wisdom (Prov. 4:20-27) -- The seduction of an "other" (Prov. 5:1-23) -- An interlude on foolishness and wickedness (Prov. 6:1-19) -- The foolishness of adultery (Prov. 6:20-35) -- The parent's final admonition on adultery (Prov. 7:1-27) -- Woman wisdom comes calling (Prov. 8:1-36) -- Feasting at wisdom's table (Prov. 9:1-18) -- Righteousness vs. wickedness (Prov. 10:1-32) -- Justice for the righteous (Prov. 11:1-31) -- Foundations for success (Prov. 12:1-28) -- The essentials of education (Prov. 13:1-25) -- Wisdom in public (Prov. 14:1-35) -- The discipline of reason and religion (Prov. 15:1-33) -- The center of the universe (Prov. 16:1-33) -- Less is more (Prov. 17:1-28) -- The good life and its social context (Prov. 18:1-24) -- On getting an education (Prov. 19:1-29) -- Threats to the good life (Prov. 20:1-30) -- Wisdom and wickedness (Prov. 21:1-31) -- The profitability of wisdom (Prov. 22:1-16) -- Between rich and poor (Prov. 22:17-23:11) -- Between envy and the fear of the Lord (Prov. 23:12-24:22) -- More wise words: The court and work (Prov. 24:23-34) -- Discriminating kings, courts, and choices (Prov. 25:1-28) -- What is a fool? (Prov. 26:1-28) -- Focus on this day's work (Prov. 27:1-27) -- A just economy (Prov. 28:1-28) -- Society and good government (Prov. 29:1-27) -- Riddled with questions (Prov. 30:1-33) -- A woman's wisdom (Prov. 31:1-31).
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"Drawing from the most recent scholarly studies in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, these commentaries incorporate a reading of the books with a view toward connectivity and theological reflection. In addition to the imaginative artwork used for illustration, readers will find a broad appeal to contemporary literature and authors as touchstones for applied reflection. Because of its use of universal concepts and images and the absence of references to the particularistic appeal to ancient Israel's nationalistic story, these books from the wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible may be some of the most relevant Biblical writing for the contemporary setting. For this reason readers are invited to recontextualize, through the perspectives of contemporary literatures, the wise council of Israel's ancient sages ... the primary goal of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series is to make available serious, credible biblical scholarship in an accessible and less intimidating format. A visual generation of believers deserves a commentary series that contains not only the all-important textual commentary on Scripture, but images, photographs, maps, works of fine art, and drawings that bring the text to life. Each volume of the Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary series features a CD-ROM, which expands the uses and capabilities of the Commentary even more"--Publisher description.