Ecclesiastes 2:11

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: “All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless –

like chasing the wind!

There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

Ecclesiastes 2:19

2:19 Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool?

Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor

for which I worked so wisely on earth!

This also is futile!

Ecclesiastes 4:3

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.

Ecclesiastes 4:7

Labor Motivated by Greed

4:7 So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

Ecclesiastes 5:18

Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor

5:18 I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people:

to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth

during the few days of their life which God has given them,

for this is their reward.

Ecclesiastes 6:12

6:12 For no one knows what is best for a person during his life –

during the few days of his fleeting life –

for they pass away like a shadow.

Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.

Ecclesiastes 7:11

Wisdom Can Lengthen One’s Life

7:11 Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing;

it benefits those who see the light of day.

Ecclesiastes 8:15-17

Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices

8:15 So I recommend the enjoyment of life,

for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life.

So joy will accompany him in his toil

during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

Limitations of Human Wisdom

8:16 When I tried to gain wisdom

and to observe the activity on earth –

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 on earth.

Despite all human efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp it.

Even if a wise person claimed that he understood,

he would not really comprehend it.

Ecclesiastes 9:3

9:3 This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth:

the same fate awaits everyone.

In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil,

and there is folly in their hearts during their lives – then they die.

Ecclesiastes 9:6

9:6 What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago,

and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.

Ecclesiastes 9:13

Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel

9:13 This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth,

and it is a great burden to me: