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Ecclesiastes 1-6
New American Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 1-6
New American Standard Bible
The Futility of All Endeavors
1 The words of the (A)Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 “(B)Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher,
“Futility of futilities! All is futility.”
3 (C)What advantage does a person have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
4 A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the (D)earth [a]remains forever.
5 Also, (E)the sun rises and the sun sets;
And [b]hurrying to its place it rises there again.
6 [c](F)Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues [d]swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7 All the rivers [e]flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers [f]flow,
There they [g]flow again.
8 All things are wearisome;
No one can tell it.
(G)The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9 (H)What has been, it is what will be,
And what has been done, it is what will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one might say,
“See this, it is new”?
It has already existed for ages
Which were before us.
11 There is (I)no remembrance of the [h]earlier things,
And of the later things as well, which will occur,
There will be no remembrance of them
Among those who will come later still.
The Futility of Wisdom
12 I, the (J)Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (K)set my [i]mind to seek and (L)explore by wisdom about everything that has been done under heaven. It is a [j](M)sorry task with which God has given the sons of mankind to be troubled. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is (N)futility and striving after wind. 15 What is (O)crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I [k]said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased (P)wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my [l]mind has observed [m]a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I (Q)applied my [n]mind to know wisdom and to (R)know insanity and foolishness; I realized that this also is (S)striving after wind. 18 Because (T)in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions
2 I said [o]to myself, “Come now, I will test you with (U)pleasure. So [p]enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 (V)I said of laughter, “It is senseless,” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my [q]mind how to (W)refresh my body with wine while my [r]mind was guiding me wisely; and how to seize (X)foolishness, until I could see (Y)what good there is for the sons of mankind [s]to do under heaven for the few [t]years of their lives. 4 I enlarged my works: I (Z)built houses for myself, I planted (AA)vineyards for myself; 5 I made (AB)gardens and (AC)parks for myself, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made (AD)ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had [u](AE)slaves born at home. I also possessed flocks and (AF)herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed for myself silver and (AG)gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself (AH)male and female singers, and the pleasures of the sons of mankind: many concubines.
9 Then I became (AI)great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 (AJ)All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my (AK)reward for all my labor. 11 So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had [v]exerted, and behold, all was (AL)futility and striving after wind, and there was (AM)no benefit under the sun.
Wisdom Surpasses Foolishness
12 So I turned to (AN)consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness; for what will the man do who will come after the king, except (AO)what has already been done? 13 Then I saw that (AP)wisdom surpasses foolishness as light surpasses darkness. 14 The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the (AQ)fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that (AR)one and the same fate happens to [w]both of them. 15 Then I said [x]to myself, “(AS)As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. (AT)Why then have I been extremely wise?” So [y]I said to myself, “This too is futility.” 16 For there is (AU)no [z]lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will [aa]soon be forgotten. And (AV)how the wise and the fool alike die! 17 So I (AW)hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was [ab]unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
The Futility of Labor
18 So I hated (AX)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must (AY)leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or (AZ)a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is (BA)futility. 20 Therefore I [ac]completely despaired over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a person who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and (BB)skill, and then (BC)gives his [ad]legacy to one who has not labored for it; this too is futility and a great evil. 22 For what does a person get in (BD)all his labor and in [ae]his striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his activity is painful and (BE)irritating; even at night his [af]mind (BF)does not rest. This too is futility.
24 There is (BG)nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show [ag]himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is (BH)from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without [ah]Him? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight, (BI)He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may (BJ)give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is (BK)futility and striving after wind.
A Time for Everything
3 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a (BL)time for every matter under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a (BM)time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A (BN)time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to (BO)weep and a time to (BP)laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to (BQ)dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to (BR)be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to (BS)hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
9 (BT)What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the (BU)task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to [ai]occupy themselves.
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Mankind
11 He has (BV)made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, without the possibility that mankind (BW)will find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
12 I know that there is (BX)nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the (BY)gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will [aj](BZ)fear Him. 15 (CA)That which is, is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God [ak]seeks what has passed by.
16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is (CB)wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said [al]to myself, “(CC)God will judge the righteous and the wicked,” for a (CD)time for every matter and for every deed [am]is there. 18 I said [an]to myself regarding the sons of mankind, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are as (CE)animals, they to themselves.” 19 (CF)For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals [ao]is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility. 20 All go to the same place. All came from the (CG)dust and all return to the dust. 21 Who knows that the (CH)spirit of the sons of mankind ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth? 22 I have seen that (CI)nothing is better than when a person is happy in his activities, for that is his [ap]lot. For who will bring him to see (CJ)what will occur after him?
The Evils of Oppression
4 Then I looked again at all the acts of (CK)oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had (CL)no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them. 2 So (CM)I congratulated the dead who are already dead, more than the living who are still living. 3 But (CN)better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.
4 I have seen that every labor and every (CO)skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a person and his neighbor. This too is (CP)futility and striving after wind. 5 The fool (CQ)folds his hands and (CR)consumes his own flesh. 6 One hand full of rest is (CS)better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.
7 Then I looked again at futility under the sun. 8 There was a man without a [aq]dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, (CT)his eyes were not satisfied with riches, and he never asked, “And (CU)for whom do I labor and deprive myself of pleasure?” This too is futility, and it is an (CV)unhappy task.
9 Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor; 10 for if [ar]either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not [as]another to lift him up! 11 Furthermore, if two lie down together they [at]keep warm, but (CW)how can one be warm alone? 12 And if [au]one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
13 A (CX)poor yet wise youth is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive [av]instruction— 14 for he has come (CY)out of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom. 15 I have seen all those living under the sun move to the side of the second youth who [aw]replaces him. 16 There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them. Even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him; for this too is (CZ)futility and striving after wind.
Your Attitude toward God
5 [ax](DA)Guard your steps as you go to the house of God, and approach to listen rather than to offer the (DB)sacrifice of fools; for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 [ay]Do not be (DC)quick with your mouth or [az]impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your (DD)words be few. 3 For the dream comes through much [ba]effort, and the voice of a (DE)fool through many words.
4 When you (DF)make a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. (DG)Pay what you vow! 5 It is (DH)better that you not vow, than vow and not pay. 6 Do not let your [bb]speech cause [bc]you to sin, and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a (DI)mistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice, and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in many dreams and in many words there is futility. Rather, [bd](DJ)fear God.
8 If you see (DK)oppression of the poor and (DL)denial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be (DM)shocked at the [be]sight; for one [bf]official watches over another [bg]official, and there are higher [bh]officials over them. 9 After all, a king who cultivates the field is beneficial to the land.
The Foolishness of Riches
10 (DN)One who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor one who loves abundance with its income. This too is futility. 11 (DO)When good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to [bi]look at them? 12 The sleep of the laborer is (DP)sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the [bj]full stomach of the rich person does not allow him to sleep.
13 There is a sickening evil which I have seen under the sun: (DQ)wealth being [bk]hoarded by its owner to his detriment. 14 When that wealth was lost through bad business and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing [bl]to support him. 15 (DR)As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he will return as he came. He will (DS)take nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand. 16 This also is a sickening evil: exactly as a person [bm]is born, so will he [bn]die. (DT)What then is the advantage for him who (DU)labors for the wind? 17 All his life (DV)he also eats in darkness with (DW)great irritation, sickness, and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen to be (DX)good and [bo]fitting: to eat, to drink, and [bp]enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he labors under the sun during the few [bq]years of his life which God has given him; for this is his [br](DY)reward. 19 Furthermore, as for every person to whom (DZ)God has given riches and wealth, He has also (EA)given him the opportunity to [bs]enjoy them and to receive his [bt]reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the (EB)gift of God. 20 For he will not often call to mind the [bu]years of his life, because (EC)God keeps [bv]him busy with the joy of his heart.
The Futility of Life
6 There is an (ED)evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is widespread [bw]among mankind: 2 a person to whom God has (EE)given riches, wealth, and honor, so that his soul (EF)lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God has not given him the opportunity to [bx]enjoy these things, but a foreigner [by]enjoys them. This is futility and a severe affliction. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many [bz]they may be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper (EG)burial, then I say, “Better (EH)the miscarriage than he, 4 for a miscarriage comes in futility and goes into darkness; and its name is covered in darkness. 5 It has not even seen the sun nor does it know it; yet [ca]it is better off than that man. 6 Even if the man lives a thousand years twice, but does not see good things—(EI)do not all go to one and the same place?”
7 (EJ)All a person’s labor is for his mouth, and yet [cb]his appetite is not [cc]satisfied. 8 For (EK)what advantage does the wise person have over the fool? What does the poor person have, knowing how to walk before the living? 9 What the eyes (EL)see is better than what the soul [cd]desires. This too is (EM)futility and striving after wind.
10 Whatever (EN)exists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he (EO)cannot dispute with the [ce]one who is mightier than he is. 11 For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a person? 12 For who knows what is good for a person during his lifetime, during the few [cf]years of his futile life? He will [cg]spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a person (EP)what will happen after him under the sun?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:4 Lit stands
- Ecclesiastes 1:5 Lit panting
- Ecclesiastes 1:6 Lit Going
- Ecclesiastes 1:6 Lit turning
- Ecclesiastes 1:7 Lit go
- Ecclesiastes 1:7 Lit go
- Ecclesiastes 1:7 Lit go
- Ecclesiastes 1:11 Lit first; or former
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit spoke with my heart, saying
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit an abundance
- Ecclesiastes 1:17 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit consider with goodness
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit which they do
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit days
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit sons
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 Lit labored to do
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 Lit all of
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit I spoke in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit forever
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit already
- Ecclesiastes 2:17 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 2:20 Lit turned aside my heart to despair
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit share
- Ecclesiastes 2:22 Lit the striving of his heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:23 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Lit his soul
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 As in LXX; Heb me
- Ecclesiastes 3:10 Or trouble
- Ecclesiastes 3:14 Or be in awe before Him
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or finds
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 I.e., exists with God
- Ecclesiastes 3:18 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Lit and they have one fate
- Ecclesiastes 3:22 Or reward
- Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit second
- Ecclesiastes 4:10 Lit they fall
- Ecclesiastes 4:10 Lit a second
- Ecclesiastes 4:11 Lit have warmth
- Ecclesiastes 4:12 Lit he
- Ecclesiastes 4:13 Or warning
- Ecclesiastes 4:15 Lit stands in his place
- Ecclesiastes 5:1 Ch 4:17 in Heb
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 Ch 5:1 in Heb
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 Lit hurry your heart
- Ecclesiastes 5:3 Lit task
- Ecclesiastes 5:6 Lit mouth
- Ecclesiastes 5:6 Lit your body
- Ecclesiastes 5:7 Or revere
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit delight
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit high one
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit high one
- Ecclesiastes 5:8 Lit ones
- Ecclesiastes 5:11 Lit see with their eyes
- Ecclesiastes 5:12 Lit satiety
- Ecclesiastes 5:13 Lit guarded
- Ecclesiastes 5:14 Lit in his hand
- Ecclesiastes 5:16 Lit comes
- Ecclesiastes 5:16 Lit go
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 Lit beautiful
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 Lit see good
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 Or days
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 Or share
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 Lit eat from it
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 Or share
- Ecclesiastes 5:20 Or days
- Ecclesiastes 5:20 As in LXX
- Ecclesiastes 6:1 Lit upon
- Ecclesiastes 6:2 Lit eat from it
- Ecclesiastes 6:2 Lit eats it
- Ecclesiastes 6:3 Lit the days of his years
- Ecclesiastes 6:5 Lit more rest has this one than that
- Ecclesiastes 6:7 Lit the soul
- Ecclesiastes 6:7 Lit filled
- Ecclesiastes 6:9 Lit goes after
- Ecclesiastes 6:10 Or Him who
- Ecclesiastes 6:12 Lit days
- Ecclesiastes 6:12 Lit do
Ecclesiastes 1-6
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 1-6
New International Version
Everything Is Meaningless
1 The words of the Teacher,[a](A) son of David, king in Jerusalem:(B)
2 “Meaningless! Meaningless!”
says the Teacher.
“Utterly meaningless!
Everything is meaningless.”(C)
3 What do people gain from all their labors
at which they toil under the sun?(D)
4 Generations come and generations go,
but the earth remains forever.(E)
5 The sun rises and the sun sets,
and hurries back to where it rises.(F)
6 The wind blows to the south
and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
ever returning on its course.
7 All streams flow into the sea,
yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
there they return again.(G)
8 All things are wearisome,
more than one can say.
The eye never has enough of seeing,(H)
nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be again,
what has been done will be done again;(I)
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of which one can say,
“Look! This is something new”?
It was here already, long ago;
it was here before our time.
11 No one remembers the former generations,(J)
and even those yet to come
will not be remembered
by those who follow them.(K)
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12 I, the Teacher,(L) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.(M) 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.(N) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!(O) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(P)
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(Q)
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me;(R) I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom,(S) and also of madness and folly,(T) but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
Pleasures Are Meaningless
2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(W) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(X) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(Y) and embracing folly(Z)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(AA) and planted vineyards.(AB) 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(AC) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold(AD) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(AE) I acquired male and female singers,(AF) and a harem[b] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(AG) before me.(AH) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(AI)
nothing was gained under the sun.(AJ)
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.(AK)
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?(AL)
13 I saw that wisdom(AM) is better than folly,(AN)
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.(AO)
15 Then I said to myself,
“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”(AP)
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(AQ)
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(AR)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(AS)
Toil Is Meaningless
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(AT) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(AU) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(AV) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AW) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AX) even at night their minds do not rest.(AY) This too is meaningless.
24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AZ) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(BA) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(BB) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(BC) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(BD) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(BE) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(BF) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
A Time for Everything
3 There is a time(BG) for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,(BH)
3 a time to kill(BI) and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent(BJ) and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
9 What do workers gain from their toil?(BK) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(BL) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(BM) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[c] no one can fathom(BN) what God has done from beginning to end.(BO) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(BP) and find satisfaction(BQ) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(BR) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(BS)
15 Whatever is has already been,(BT)
and what will be has been before;(BU)
and God will call the past to account.[d]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment(BV)
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”(BW)
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(BX) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(BY) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[e]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(BZ) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(CA) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(CB) because that is their lot.(CC) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness
4 Again I looked and saw all the oppression(CD) that was taking place under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed—
and they have no comforter;
power was on the side of their oppressors—
and they have no comforter.(CE)
2 And I declared that the dead,(CF)
who had already died,
are happier than the living,
who are still alive.(CG)
3 But better than both
is the one who has never been born,(CH)
who has not seen the evil
that is done under the sun.(CI)
4 And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(CJ)
5 Fools fold their hands(CK)
and ruin themselves.
6 Better one handful with tranquillity
than two handfuls with toil(CL)
and chasing after the wind.
7 Again I saw something meaningless under the sun:
8 There was a man all alone;
he had neither son nor brother.
There was no end to his toil,
yet his eyes were not content(CM) with his wealth.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and why am I depriving myself of enjoyment?”
This too is meaningless—
a miserable business!
9 Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their labor:
10 If either of them falls down,
one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls
and has no one to help them up.
11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Advancement Is Meaningless
13 Better a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer knows how to heed a warning. 14 The youth may have come from prison to the kingship, or he may have been born in poverty within his kingdom. 15 I saw that all who lived and walked under the sun followed the youth, the king’s successor. 16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Fulfill Your Vow to God
5 [f]Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth,
do not be hasty in your heart
to utter anything before God.(CN)
God is in heaven
and you are on earth,
so let your words be few.(CO)
3 A dream(CP) comes when there are many cares,
and many words mark the speech of a fool.(CQ)
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it.(CR) He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.(CS) 5 It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it.(CT) 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, “My vow was a mistake.” Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore fear God.(CU)
Riches Are Meaningless
8 If you see the poor oppressed(CV) in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. 9 The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.
10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.(CW)
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:(CX)
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.(CY)
They take nothing from their toil(CZ)
that they can carry in their hands.(DA)
16 This too is a grievous evil:
As everyone comes, so they depart,
and what do they gain,
since they toil for the wind?(DB)
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink(DC) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor(DD) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions,(DE) and the ability to enjoy them,(DF) to accept their lot(DG) and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.(DH) 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.(DI)
6 I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on mankind: 2 God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor, so that they lack nothing their hearts desire, but God does not grant them the ability to enjoy them,(DJ) and strangers enjoy them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.(DK)
3 A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn(DL) child is better off than he.(DM) 4 It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded. 5 Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man— 6 even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?(DN)
7 Everyone’s toil is for their mouth,
yet their appetite is never satisfied.(DO)
8 What advantage have the wise over fools?(DP)
What do the poor gain
by knowing how to conduct themselves before others?
9 Better what the eye sees
than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
a chasing after the wind.(DQ)
10 Whatever exists has already been named,(DR)
and what humanity is has been known;
no one can contend
with someone who is stronger.
11 The more the words,
the less the meaning,
and how does that profit anyone?
12 For who knows what is good for a person in life, during the few and meaningless days(DS) they pass through like a shadow?(DT) Who can tell them what will happen under the sun after they are gone?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:1 Or the leader of the assembly; also in verses 2 and 12
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit
- Ecclesiastes 5:1 In Hebrew texts 5:1 is numbered 4:17, and 5:2-20 is numbered 5:1-19.
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