1:3 What benefit
which
1:4 A generation comes
but the earth remains
1:5 The sun rises
it hurries away
1:6 The wind goes to the south and circles around to the north;
round and round
1:7 All the streams flow
and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.
1:8 All this
The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content
1:9 What exists now
and what has been done is what will be done;
there is nothing truly new on earth.
1:10 Is there anything about which someone can say, “Look at this! It is new!”?
It was already
1:11 No one remembers the former events,
nor will anyone remember
they will not be remembered by the future generations.
1:12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
1:13 I decided
all that has been accomplished on earth.
I concluded:
that keeps them
1:14 I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man
and I concluded: Everything
1:15 What is bent
and what is missing
1:16 I thought to myself,
“I have become much wiser
I
1:17 So I decided
however, I concluded
1:18 For with great wisdom comes
whoever increases his
2:1 “Come now,
But I found
2:2 I said of partying,
and of self-indulgent pleasure,
2:3 I thought deeply
(all the while
and the effects of
so that
for people
2:4 I increased my possessions:
I built houses for myself;
I planted vineyards for myself.
2:5 I designed
and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
2:6 I constructed pools of water for myself,
to irrigate my grove
2:7 I purchased male and female slaves,
and I owned slaves who were born in my house;
I also possessed more livestock – both herds and flocks –
than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.
2:8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself,
as well as valuable treasures
I acquired male singers and female singers for myself,
and what gives a man sensual delight
2:9 So
yet I maintained my objectivity:
2:10 I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted;
I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure.
So all my accomplishments gave me joy;
this was my reward for all my effort.
2:11 Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished
and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,
I concluded:
like chasing the wind!
There is nothing gained
2:12 Next, I decided to consider
For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king
2:13 I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly,
just as light is preferable to darkness:
2:14 The wise man can see where he is going,
Yet I also realized that the same fate
2:15 So I thought to myself, “The fate of the fool will happen even to me!
Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively
So I lamented to myself,
“The benefits of wisdom
2:16 For the wise man, like
because
Alas,
2:17 So I loathed
happens
for all the benefits of wisdom
2:18 So I loathed all the fruit of
for which I worked so hard
because
2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?
Yet
for which I worked so wisely
This also is futile!
2:20 So I began to despair
for which I worked so hard
2:21 For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill;
however, he must hand over
to someone else who did not work for it.
This also is futile, and an awful injustice!
2:22 What does a man acquire from all his labor
and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?
2:23 For all day long
and even at night his mind cannot relax!
This also is futile!
2:24 There is nothing better for
and to find enjoyment
I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment
2:25 For no one
or experience joy
2:26 For to the one who pleases him,
but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing
only to give
This
3:1 For everything
and an appropriate time
3:2 A time to be born,
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
3:5 A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost;
a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
3:7 A time to rip, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
3:9 What benefit can a worker
3:10 I have observed the burden
that God has given to people
3:11 God has made everything fit beautifully
but
so that
from the beginning to the end
3:12 I have concluded
than
themselves
3:13 and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil,
for these things
3:14 I also know that whatever God does will endure forever;
nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it.
God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.
3:15 Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been;
for God will seek to do again
3:16 I saw something else on earth:
In the place of justice, there was wickedness,
and in the place of fairness,
3:17 I thought to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;
for there is an appropriate time for every activity,
and there is a time of judgment
3:18 I also thought to myself, “It is
so God can clearly
3:19 For the fate of humans
As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath.
There is no advantage for humans over animals,
for both are fleeting.
3:20 Both go to the same place,
both come from the dust,
and to dust both return.
3:21 Who really knows if the human spirit
and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?
3:22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people
because that is their
for who can show them what the future holds?
4:1 So
This is what I saw:
The oppressed
no one delivers
4:2 So I considered
more fortunate than those who are still alive.
4:3 But better than both is the one who has not been born
and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
4:4 Then I considered
Surely it is nothing more than
This also is profitless – like
4:5 The fool folds his hands and does no work,
so he has nothing to eat but his own flesh.
4:6 Better is one handful with some rest
than two hands full of toil
4:7 So
4:8 A man who is all alone with no companion,
he has no children nor siblings;
yet there is no end to all his toil,
and he
He laments,
This also is futile and a burdensome task!
4:9 Two people are better than one,
because they can reap
4:10 For if they fall, one will help his companion up,
but pity
4:11 Furthermore, if two lie down together, they can keep each other warm,
but how can one person keep warm by himself?
4:12 Although an assailant may overpower
two can withstand him.
Moreover, a three-stranded cord is not quickly broken.
4:13 A poor but wise youth is better than an old and foolish king
who no longer knows how to receive advice.
4:14 For he came out of prison
even though he had been born poor in what would become his
4:15 I considered all the living who walk on earth,
as well as the successor
4:16 There is no end to all the people
yet future generations
This also is profitless and like
5:1
draw near to listen
for they do not realize that they are doing wrong.
5:2 Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God,
for God is in heaven and you are on earth!
Therefore, let your words be few.
5:3 Just as dreams come when there are many cares,
so
5:4 When you make a vow
For God
Pay what you vow!
5:5 It is better for you not to vow
than to vow and not pay it.
5:6 Do not let your mouth cause you
and do not tell the priest,
Why make God angry at you
so that he would destroy the work of your hands?”
5:7 Just as there is futility in many dreams,
so also in many words.
Therefore, fear God!
5:8 If you see the extortion
or the perversion
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official,
and there are higher ones over them!
5:9 The produce of the land is seized
even the king is served
5:10 The one who loves money
he who loves wealth
This also is futile.
5:11 When someone’s
so what does its owner
5:12 The sleep of the laborer is pleasant – whether he eats little or much –
but the wealth of the rich will not allow him to sleep.
5:13 Here is
Wealth hoarded by its owner to his own misery.
5:14 Then that wealth was lost through bad luck;
although he fathered a son, he has nothing left to give him.
5:15 Just as he came forth from his mother's womb, naked will he return as he came,
and he will take nothing in his hand that he may carry away from his toil.
5:16 This is another misfortune:
Just as he came, so will he go.
What did he gain from toiling for the wind?
5:17 Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life,
and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.
5:18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:
to eat and drink,
during the few days of their life which God has given them,
for this is their reward.
5:19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,
he has also given him the ability
to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;
these things
5:20 For he does not think
because God keeps him preoccupied
6:1 Here is
and it weighs
6:2 God gives a man riches, property, and wealth
so that he lacks nothing that his heart
yet God does not enable
instead, someone else
This is fruitless and a grave misfortune.
6:3 Even if a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years –
even if he lives a long, long time,
even if he were to live forever
I would say, “A stillborn child
6:4 Though the stillborn child
though its name is shrouded in darkness,
6:5 though it never saw the light of day
yet it has more rest
6:6 if he should live a thousand years twice, yet does not enjoy his prosperity.
For both of them die!
6:7 All of man’s labor is for nothing more than
yet his appetite
6:8 So what advantage does a wise man have over a fool?
And what advantage
6:9 It is better to be content with
than for one’s heart always to crave more.
This continual longing
6:10 Whatever has happened was foreordained,
and what happens to a person
It is useless for him to argue with God about his fate
because God is more powerful than he is.
6:11 The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes.
How does that benefit him?
6:12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life
during the few days of his fleeting life –
for
Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
7:1 A good reputation
likewise,
7:2 It is better to go to a funeral
than a feast.
For death
and the living should
7:3 Sorrow
because sober reflection
7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,
but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.
7:5 It is better for a person to receive
than to listen to the song
7:6 For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns
so is the laughter of the fool.
This kind of folly
7:7 Surely oppression
likewise,
7:8 The end of a matter
likewise, patience
7:9 Do not let yourself be quickly provoked,
for anger resides in the lap
7:10 Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these days?”
for it is not wise to ask that.
7:11 Wisdom, like
it benefits those who see the light of day.
7:12 For wisdom provides
just as
But the advantage of knowledge is this:
Wisdom preserves the life
7:13 Consider the work of God:
For who can make straight what he has bent?
7:14 In times of prosperity
but in times of adversity
God has made one as well as the other,
so that no one can discover what the future holds.
7:15 During the days of my fleeting life
Sometimes
and sometimes
7:16 So do not be excessively righteous or excessively
otherwise
7:17 Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool;
otherwise
7:18 It is best to take hold of one warning
for the one who fears God will follow
7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection
than ten rulers in a city.
7:20 For
who continually does good and never sins.
7:21 Also, do not pay attention to everything that people
otherwise,
7:22 For you know in your own heart
that you also have cursed others many times.
7:23 I have examined all this by wisdom;
I said, “I am determined
7:24 Whatever has happened is beyond human
it is far deeper than anyone can fathom.
7:25 I tried
the role of
and to understand the stupidity of wickedness
7:26 I discovered this:
More bitter than death is the kind of
her heart is like a hunter’s net and her hands are like prison chains.
The man who pleases God escapes her,
but the sinner is captured by her.
7:27 The Teacher says:
I discovered this while trying to discover the scheme of things, item by item.
7:28 What I have continually sought, I have not found;
I have found only
but I have not found one upright woman among all of them.
7:29 This alone have I discovered: God made humankind upright,
but they have sought many evil schemes.
8:1 Who is
A person’s wisdom brightens his appearance,
8:2 Obey the king’s command,
because you took
8:3 Do not rush out of the king’s presence in haste – do not delay when the matter is unpleasant,
for he can do whatever he pleases.
8:4 Surely the king’s authority
no one can say
8:5 Whoever obeys his
and a wise person
8:6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,
for the oppression
8:7 Surely no one knows the future,
and no one can tell another person what will happen.
8:8 Just as no one has power over the wind to restrain it,
so no one has power over the day of his
Just as no one can be discharged during the battle,
so wickedness cannot rescue the wicked.
8:9 While applying
Sometimes one person
8:10 Not only that,
and as they left the holy temple,
boasted
This also is an enigma.
8:11 When
the human heart
8:12 Even though a sinner might commit a hundred crimes
yet I know that it will go well with God-fearing people
8:13 But it will not go well with the wicked,
nor will they
because they
8:14 Here is
Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve,
and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve.
I said, “This also is an enigma.”
8:15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life,
for there is nothing better on earth
So
during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.
8:16 When I tried
and to observe the activity
even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night
8:17 then I discerned all that God has done:
No one really comprehends what happens
Despite all human
Even if
he would not really comprehend
9:1 So I reflected on all this,
I concluded that
whether a person will be loved or hated
no one knows what lies ahead.
9:2 Everyone shares the same fate
the righteous and the wicked,
the good and the bad,
the ceremonially clean and unclean,
those who offer sacrifices and those who do not.
What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner;
what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
9:3 This is the unfortunate fact
the same fate awaits
In addition to this, the hearts of all people
and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die.
9:4 But whoever is among
a live dog is better than a dead lion.
9:5 For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything;
they have no further reward – and even the memory of them disappears.
9:6 What they loved,
and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.
9:7 Go, eat your food
and drink your wine with a happy heart,
because God has already approved your works.
9:8 Let your clothes always be white,
and do not spare precious ointment on your head.
9:9 Enjoy
that God
for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work
9:10 Whatever you find to do with your hands,
do it with all your might,
because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave,
the place where you will eventually go.
9:11 Again,
the race is not always
the battle is not always won by the strongest;
prosperity
wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning,
nor does success
for time and chance may overcome
9:12 Surely, no one
Like fish that are caught in a deadly
just like them, all people
9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,
and it is a great burden
9:14 There was once
and a mighty king attacked it, besieging
9:15 However, a poor but wise man lived in the city,
and he could have delivered
but no one listened
9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might,
but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens
9:17 The words of the wise are heard in quiet,
more than the shouting of a ruler is heard
9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,
but one sinner can destroy much that is good.
10:1 One dead fly
so a little folly can outweigh
10:2 A wise person’s good sense protects him,
but a fool’s lack of sense leaves him vulnerable.
10:3 Even when a fool walks along the road he lacks sense,
and shows
10:4 If the anger
for a calm
10:5 I have seen another
It is an error a ruler makes.
10:6 Fools
while wealthy men sit in lowly positions.
10:7 I have seen slaves
and princes walking on foot
10:8 One who digs a pit may
and one who breaks through a wall may be bitten by a snake.
10:9 One who quarries stones may be injured by them;
one who splits logs may be endangered by them.
10:10 If an iron axhead
he must exert a great deal of effort;
so wisdom has the advantage of giving success.
10:11 If the snake should bite before it is charmed,
the snake charmer
10:12 The words of a wise person
but the words
10:13 At the beginning his words
and at the end
10:14 yet a fool keeps on babbling.
No one knows what will happen;
who can tell him what will happen in the future?
10:15 The toil of a stupid fool
because he does not even know the way to the city.
10:16 Woe to you, O land, when your king is childish,
and your princes feast in the morning!
10:17 Blessed are you, O land, when your king is the son of nobility,
and your princes feast at the proper time
10:18 Because of laziness the roof
and because of idle hands
10:19 Feasts
and wine makes life merry,
but money is the answer
10:20 Do not curse a king even in your thoughts,
and do not curse the rich
for a bird
or some winged creature
11:1 Send
for after many days you will get a return.
11:2 Divide your merchandise
for you do not know
11:3 If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth,
and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls.
11:4 He who watches the wind will not sow,
and he who observes the clouds will not reap.
11:5 Just as you do not know the path
or how the bones form
so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.
11:6 Sow your seed in the morning,
and do not stop working
for you do not know which activity
whether this one or that one, or whether both will prosper equally.