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 Living Translation
1 These are the words of the Teacher,[a] King David’s son, who ruled in Jerusalem.
Everything Is Meaningless
2 “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!”
3 What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. 6 The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea. 8 Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
9 History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. 10 Sometimes people say, “Here is something new!” But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new. 11 We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
The Teacher Speaks: The Futility of Wisdom
12 I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem. 13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race. 14 I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
15 What is wrong cannot be made right.
What is missing cannot be recovered.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.” 17 So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.
18 The greater my wisdom, the greater my grief.
To increase knowledge only increases sorrow.
The Futility of Pleasure
2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.
4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
The Wise and the Foolish
12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?[b]). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.
17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
The Futility of Work
18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?[c] 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
A Time for Everything
3 For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
3 A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
5 A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
6 A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet 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 people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. 11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. 12 So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can. 13 And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
14 And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him. 15 What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
The Injustices of Life
16 I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! 17 I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”
18 I also thought about the human condition—how God proves to people that they are like animals. 19 For people and animals share the same fate—both breathe[d] and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless! 20 Both go to the same place—they came from dust and they return to dust. 21 For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.
4 Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless. 2 So I concluded that the dead are better off than the living. 3 But most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born. For they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun.
4 Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
5 “Fools fold their idle hands,
leading them to ruin.”
6 And yet,
“Better to have one handful with quietness
than two handfuls with hard work
and chasing the wind.”
The Advantages of Companionship
7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.
9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
The Futility of Political Power
13 It is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who refuses all advice. 14 Such a youth could rise from poverty and succeed. He might even become king, though he has been in prison. 15 But then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth[e] who replaces him. 16 Endless crowds stand around him,[f] but then another generation grows up and rejects him, too. So it is all meaningless—like chasing the wind.
Approaching God with Care
5 [g]As you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God. 2 [h]Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.
3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him. 5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it. 6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.
7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.
The Futility of Wealth
8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy. 9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit![i]
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness! 11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!
12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver. 14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children. 15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind. 17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. 19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. 20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
6 There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity. 2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.
3 A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead. 4 His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name, 5 and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man. 6 He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?
7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough. 8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?
9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
The Future—Determined and Unknown
10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.
11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?
12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?
Footnotes
- 1:1 Hebrew Qoheleth; this term is rendered “the Teacher” throughout this book.
- 2:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
- 2:25 As in Greek and Syriac versions; Hebrew reads apart from me?
- 3:19 Or both have the same spirit.
- 4:15 Hebrew the second youth.
- 4:16 Hebrew There is no end to all the people, to all those who are before them.
- 5:1 Verse 5:1 is numbered 4:17 in Hebrew text.
- 5:2 Verses 5:2-20 are numbered 5:1-19 in Hebrew text.
- 5:9 The meaning of the Hebrew in verses 8 and 9 is uncertain.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
