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Ecclesiastes 1

Everything Is Meaningless

 ² "Meaningless! Meaningless!"
       says the Teacher.
       "Utterly meaningless!
       Everything is meaningless."

 ³ What does man gain from all his labor
       at which he toils under the sun?

 ⁴ Generations come and generations go,
       but the earth remains forever.

 ⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
       and hurries back to where it rises.

 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.

 ⁸ All things are wearisome,
       more than one can say.
       The eye never has enough of seeing,
       nor the ear its fill of hearing.

 ⁹ What has been will be again,
       what has been done will be done again;
       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 There is no remembrance of men of old,
       and even those who are yet to come
       will not be remembered
       by those who follow.

Wisdom Is Meaningless

 ¹⁵ What is twisted cannot be straightened;
       what is lacking cannot be counted.

 ¹⁶ I thought to myself, "Look, I have grown and increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge." ¹⁷ Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.

 ¹⁸ For with much wisdom comes much sorrow;
       the more knowledge, the more grief.

Ecclesiastes 2

Pleasures Are Meaningless

 ⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 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 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 for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem ^[b] as well—the delights of the heart of man. ⁹ I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 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 work,
       and this was the reward for all my labor.

 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;
       nothing was gained under the sun.

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

 ¹³ I saw that wisdom is better than folly,
       just as light is better than darkness.

 ¹⁴ The wise man has eyes in his head,
       while the fool walks in the darkness;
       but I came to realize
       that the same fate overtakes them both.

 ¹⁵ Then I thought in my heart,
       "The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
       What then do I gain by being wise?"
       I said in my heart,
       "This too is meaningless."

 ¹⁶ For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered;
       in days to come both will be forgotten.
       Like the fool, the wise man too must die!

Toil Is Meaningless

 ²⁴ A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, ²⁵ for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? ²⁶ To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Ecclesiastes 3

A Time for Everything

 ² a time to be born and a time to die,
       a time to plant and a time to uproot,

 ³ a time to kill 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,

 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 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 does the worker gain from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the burden God has laid on men. ¹¹ He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. ¹² I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. ¹³ That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God. 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 men will revere him.

 ¹⁵ Whatever is has already been,
       and what will be has been before;
       and God will call the past to account. ^[c]

 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 thought in my heart,
       "God will bring to judgment
       both the righteous and the wicked,
       for there will be a time for every activity,
       a time for every deed."

 ¹⁸ I also thought, "As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. ¹⁹ Man's fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ^[d] ; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal ^[e] goes down into the earth?"

 ²² So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

Ecclesiastes 4

Oppression, Toil, Friendlessness

 ² And I declared that the dead,
       who had already died,
       are happier than the living,
       who are still alive.

 ³ But better than both
       is he who has not yet been,
       who has not seen the evil
       that is done under the sun.

 ⁴ And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

 ⁵ The fool folds his hands
       and ruins himself.

 ⁶ Better one handful with tranquillity
       than two handfuls with toil
       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 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 work:

 ¹⁰ If one falls down,
       his friend can help him up.
       But pity the man who falls
       and has no one to help him 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

Ecclesiastes 5

Stand in Awe of God

 ² Do not be quick with your mouth,
       do not be hasty in your heart
       to utter anything before God.
       God is in heaven
       and you are on earth,
       so let your words be few.

 ³ As a dream comes when there are many cares,
       so the speech of a fool when there are many words.

 ⁴ When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. ⁵ It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 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 stand in awe of God.

Riches Are Meaningless

 ¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has money enough;
       whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income.
       This too is meaningless.

 ¹¹ As goods increase,
       so do those who consume them.
       And what benefit are they to the owner
       except to feast his eyes on them?

 ¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
       whether he eats little or much,
       but the abundance of a rich man
       permits him no sleep.

 ¹³ I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:
       wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,

 ¹⁴ or wealth lost through some misfortune,
       so that when he has a son
       there is nothing left for him.

 ¹⁵ Naked a man comes from his mother's womb,
       and as he comes, so he departs.
       He takes nothing from his labor
       that he can carry in his hand.

 ¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil:
       As a man comes, so he departs,
       and what does he gain,
       since he toils for the wind?

 ¹⁷ All his days he eats in darkness,
       with great frustration, affliction and anger.

 ¹⁸ Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him—for this is his lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.

Listen to this passage

Ecclesiastes 12

 ¹ Remember your Creator
       in the days of your youth,
       before the days of trouble come
       and the years approach when you will say,
       "I find no pleasure in them"-

 ² before the sun and the light
       and the moon and the stars grow dark,
       and the clouds return after the rain;

 ³ when the keepers of the house tremble,
       and the strong men stoop,
       when the grinders cease because they are few,
       and those looking through the windows grow dim;

 ⁴ when the doors to the street are closed
       and the sound of grinding fades;
       when men rise up at the sound of birds,
       but all their songs grow faint;

 ⁵ when men are afraid of heights
       and of dangers in the streets;
       when the almond tree blossoms
       and the grasshopper drags himself along
       and desire no longer is stirred.
       Then man goes to his eternal home
       and mourners go about the streets.

 ⁶ Remember him—before the silver cord is severed,
       or the golden bowl is broken;
       before the pitcher is shattered at the spring,
       or the wheel broken at the well,

 ⁷ and the dust returns to the ground it came from,
       and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

 ⁸ "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. ^[a]
       "Everything is meaningless!"

The Conclusion of the Matter

 ¹¹ The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one Shepherd. ¹² Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them.
      Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body.

 ¹³ Now all has been heard;
       here is the conclusion of the matter:
       Fear God and keep his commandments,
       for this is the whole duty of man.

 ¹⁴ For God will bring every deed into judgment,
       including every hidden thing,
       whether it is good or evil.