⁷ Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine^(A) with a joyful heart,^(B) for God has already approved what you do.

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,^(A) and find satisfaction^(B) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.^(C)

²⁴ A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink^(A) and find satisfaction in their own toil.^(B) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,^{(C) 25} for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?^{(D) 26} To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,^(E) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth^(F) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.^(G) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

⁷ There, in the presence^(A) of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice^(B) in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.

¹⁵ So I commend the enjoyment of life^(A), because there is nothing better for a person under the sun than to eat and drink^(B) and be glad.^(C) Then joy will accompany them in their toil all the days of the life God has given them under the sun.

Ministering Before the Ark^(A)(B)(C)

16 They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched^(D) for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God. ² After David had finished sacrificing the burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, he blessed^(E) the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he gave a loaf of bread, a cake of dates and a cake of raisins^(F) to each Israelite man and woman.

¹⁸ This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink^(A) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor^(B) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot.

¹⁰ Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing^(A) prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy^(B) of the Lord is your strength.”

¹¹ The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”

¹² Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy,^(C) because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.