And according to that Gregorian calendar, it is Sunday on this day, day of God, the Sabbath, the day of rest, or is that Saturday. And yet I find myself blogging on this blog. And I have found myself reading, watching and listening to the news this past week of the latest natural disaster of an earthquake that has taken many lives along with it here on planet earth that has afflicted the city of Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. And it seems to be a tragic event with images of devastation that represent the fragility of life as human beings that seem as if they are taken from the apocalypse. And in those thoughts I thought to post some verses on the internet from that book the Bible in various translations in relation to life and death:

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.

A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,

Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.

All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.

Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

And I declared that the dead, who had already died, are happier than the living, who are still alive.

Naked a man comes from his mother’s womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand. Even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?

No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death.

Anyone who is among the living has hope–even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing; they have no further reward, and even the memory of them is forgotten

I know you will bring me down to death, to the place appointed for all the living

for he will take nothing with him when he dies, his splendor will not descend with him

As for man, his days are like grass, he flourishes like a flower of the field;

The wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

Man is like a breath; his days are like a fleeting shadow.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.

Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

As he came forth of his mother’s womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labor, which he may carry away in his hand.

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

And A Psalm

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The business of birth, the business of death. Mortal man. We are all born to die.