<t /><p class="poetry">I increased my possessions:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">I built houses for myself;<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I planted vineyards for myself.p>

<p class="poetry">I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man<n id="1" /> on earth,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">and I concluded: Everything<n id="3" /> he has accomplished<n id="4" /> is futile<n id="5" /> &#8211; like chasing the wind!<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Consider the work of God:p> <p class="poetry">For who can make straight what he has bent?p>

<p class="poetry">Here is<n id="1" /> another<n id="2" /> enigma<n id="3" /> that occurs on earth:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">I said, &#8220;This also is an enigma.&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">I concluded:<n id="3" /> &#8220;All these<n id="4" /> achievements and possessions<n id="5" /> are ultimately<n id="6" /> profitless<n id="7" /> &#8211;p> <p class="poetry">like chasing the wind!p> <p class="poetry">There is nothing gained<n id="8" /> from them<n id="9" /> on earth.&#8221;<n id="10" />p>

<p class="poetry">So I loathed<n id="1" /> life<n id="2" /> because whatp> <p class="poetry">happens<n id="3" /> on earth<n id="4" /> seems awful to me;p> <p class="poetry">for all the benefits of wisdom<n id="5" /> are futile &#8211; like chasing the wind.p>

<p class="poetry">I thought to myself, &#8220;God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;p> <p class="poetry">for there is an appropriate time for every activity,p> <p class="poetry">and there is a time of judgment<n id="1" /> for every deed. p>

<p class="poetry">So I perceived there is nothing better than for people<n id="1" /> to enjoy their work,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">because that is their<n id="3" /> reward;p> <p class="poetry">for who can show them what the future holds?<n id="4" />p>

<p class="poetry">But better than both is the one who has not been born<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.<n id="2" />p>

<p class="poetry">When<n id="1" /> a sentence<n id="2" /> is not executed<n id="3" /> at once against a crime,<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">the human heart<n id="5" /> is encouraged to do evil.<n id="6" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Go, eat your food<n id="1" /> with joy,p> <p class="poetry">and drink your wine with a happy heart,p> <p class="poetry">because God has already approved your works.p>

<p class="poetry">Whatever you find to do with your hands,<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">do it with all your might,p> <p class="poetry">because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave,<n id="2" />p> <p class="poetry">the place where you will eventually go.<n id="3" />p>

<p class="poetry">For God will evaluate every deed,<n id="1" />p> <p class="bodytext">including every secret thing, whether good or evil.p>

<p class="poetry">then I discerned all that God has done:<n id="1" />p> <p class="poetry">No one really comprehends what happens<n id="2" /> on earth.<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Despite all human<n id="4" /> efforts to discover it, no one can ever grasp<n id="5" /> it.<n id="6" />p> <p class="poetry">Even if<n id="7" /> a wise person claimed<n id="8" /> that he understood,p> <p class="poetry">he would not really comprehend<n id="9" /> it.<n id="10" />p>

<p class="poetry">God has made everything fit beautifully<n id="1" /> in its appropriate time,p> <p class="poetry">but<n id="2" /> he has also placed ignorance<n id="3" /> in the human heart<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">so that<n id="5" /> people<n id="6" /> cannot discover what God has ordained,<n id="7" />p> <p class="poetry">from the beginning to the end<n id="8" /> of their lives.<n id="9" />p>

<t /><p class="poetry">Then I considered<n id="1" /> all the skillful work<n id="2" /> that is done:p> <p class="poetry">Surely it is nothing more than<n id="3" /> competition<n id="4" /> between one person and another.<n id="5" />p> <p class="poetry">This also is profitless &#8211; like<n id="6" /> chasing the wind.p>

<p class="poetry">Do not let your mouth cause you<n id="1" /> to sin,p> <p class="poetry">and do not tell the priest,<n id="2" /> &#8220;It was a mistake!&#8221;<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">Why make God angry at you<n id="4" />p> <p class="poetry">so that he would destroy the work of your hands?&#8221;p>

<p class="poetry">While applying<n id="1" /> my mind<n id="2" /> to everything<n id="3" /> that happens in this world,<n id="4" /> I have seen all this:p> <p class="poetry">Sometimes one person<n id="5" /> dominates<n id="6" /> other people<n id="7" /> to their harm.<n id="8" />p>

<p class="poetry">Just as you do not know the path<n id="1" /> of the wind,p> <p class="poetry">or how the bones form<n id="2" /> in the womb of a pregnant woman,<n id="3" />p> <p class="poetry">so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.p>