What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?

All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.

I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.

Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.

Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

The God-Given Task

What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.

All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

Moreover the profit of the land is for all; even the king is served from the field.

As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return, To go as he came; And he shall take nothing from his labor Which he may carry away in his hand.

It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all.

All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, “I will be wise”; But it was far from me.

And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

Death Comes to All

Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity.

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, As an error proceeding from the ruler:

Therefore remove sorrow from your heart, And put away evil from your flesh, For childhood and youth are vanity.