For God will evaluate every deed, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.

All of man’s labor is for nothing more than to fill his stomach – yet his appetite is never satisfied!

I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile – like chasing the wind!

I designed royal gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.

Surely, he ate in darkness every day of his life, and he suffered greatly with sickness and anger.

I have examined all this by wisdom; I said, “I am determined to comprehend this” – but it was beyond my grasp.

Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless – like chasing the wind.

So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated – no one knows what lies ahead.

Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.

All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is not full, and to the place where the streams flow, there they will flow again.

All this monotony is tiresome; no one can bear to describe it: The eye is never satisfied with seeing, nor is the ear ever content with hearing.

What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.

So I loathed all the fruit of my effort, for which I worked so hard on earth, because I must leave it behind in the hands of my successor.

For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

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 for every deed.

I considered all the living who walk on earth, as well as the successor who would arise in his place.

This is another misfortune: Just as he came, so will he go. What did he gain from toiling for the wind?

It is better to go to a funeral than a feast. For death is the destiny of every person, and the living should take this to heart.