The Daily Audio Bible

4 Then I looked again at all the injustice that goes on in this world. The oppressed were crying, and no one would help them. No one would help them, because their oppressors had power on their side. ² I envy those who are dead and gone; they are better off than those who are still alive. ³ But better off than either are those who have never been born, who have never seen the injustice that goes on in this world.

⁴ I have also learned why people work so hard to succeed: it is because they envy the things their neighbors have. But it is useless. It is like chasing the wind. ⁵ They say that we would be fools to fold our hands and let ourselves starve to death. ⁶ Maybe so, but it is better to have only a little, with peace of mind, than be busy all the time with both hands, trying to catch the wind.

⁷ I have noticed something else in life that is useless. ⁸ Here is someone who lives alone. He has no son, no brother, yet he is always working, never satisfied with the wealth he has. For whom is he working so hard and denying himself any pleasure? This is useless, too—and a miserable way to live.

⁹ Two are better off than one, because together they can work more effectively. ¹⁰ If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if someone is alone and falls, it's just too bad, because there is no one to help him. ¹¹ If it is cold, two can sleep together and stay warm, but how can you keep warm by yourself ¹² Two people can resist an attack that would defeat one person alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.

^13-14 Someone may rise from poverty to become king of his country, or go from prison to the throne, but if in his old age he is too foolish to take advice, he is not as well off as a young man who is poor but intelligent. ¹⁵ I thought about all the people who live in this world, and I realized that somewhere among them there is a young man who will take the king's place. ¹⁶ There may be no limit to the number of people a king rules; when he is gone, no one will be grateful for what he has done. It is useless. It is like chasing the wind.

Don't Make Rash Promises

5 Be careful about going to the Temple. It is better to go there to learn than to offer sacrifices like foolish people who don't know right from wrong. ² Think before you speak, and don't make any rash promises to God. He is in heaven and you are on earth, so don't say any more than you have to. ³ The more you worry, the more likely you are to have bad dreams, and the more you talk, the more likely you are to say something foolish. ^4 (A)So when you make a promise to God, keep it as quickly as possible. He has no use for a fool. Do what you promise to do. ⁵ Better not to promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it. ⁶ Don't let your own words lead you into sin, so that you have to tell God's priest that you didn't mean it. Why make God angry with you? Why let him destroy what you have worked for? ⁷ No matter how much you dream, how much useless work you do, or how much you talk, you must still stand in awe of God.

Life Is Useless

⁸ Don't be surprised when you see that the government oppresses the poor and denies them justice and their rights. Every official is protected by someone higher, and both are protected by still higher officials.

⁹ Even a king depends on the harvest.^[a]

¹⁰ If you love money, you will never be satisfied; if you long to be rich, you will never get all you want. It is useless. ¹¹ The richer you are, the more mouths you have to feed. All you gain is the knowledge that you are rich. ¹² Workers may or may not have enough to eat, but at least they can get a good night's sleep. The rich, however, have so much that they stay awake worrying.

¹³ Here is a terrible thing that I have seen in this world: people save up their money for a time when they may need it,^{[b] 14} and then lose it all in some bad deal and end up with nothing left to pass on to their children. ^15 (B)We leave this world just as we entered it—with nothing. In spite of all our work there is nothing we can take with us. ¹⁶ It isn't right! We go just as we came. We labor, trying to catch the wind, and what do we get? ¹⁷ We get to live our lives in darkness and grief,^[c] worried, angry, and sick.

¹⁸ Here is what I have found out: the best thing we can do is eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for during the short life that God has given us; this is our fate. ¹⁹ If God gives us wealth and property and lets us enjoy them, we should be grateful and enjoy what we have worked for. It is a gift from God. ²⁰ Since God has allowed us to be happy, we will not worry too much about how short life is.

6 I have noticed that in this world a serious injustice is done. ² God will give us wealth, honor, and property, yes, everything we want, but then will not let us enjoy it. Some stranger will enjoy it instead. It is useless, and it just isn't right. ³ We may have a hundred children and live a long time, but no matter how long we live, if we do not get our share of happiness and do not receive a decent burial, then I say that a baby born dead is better off. ⁴ It does that baby no good to be born; it disappears into darkness, where it is forgotten. ⁵ It never sees the light of day or knows what life is like, but at least it has found rest— ⁶ more so than the man who never enjoys life, though he may live two thousand years. After all, both of them are going to the same place.

⁷ We do all our work just to get something to eat, but we never have enough. ⁸ How are the wise better off than fools? What good does it do the poor to know how to face life? ⁹ It is useless; it is like chasing the wind. It is better to be satisfied with what you have than to be always wanting something else.

¹⁰ Everything that happens was already determined long ago, and we all know that you^[d] cannot argue with someone who is stronger than you. ¹¹ The longer you argue, the more useless it is, and you are no better off. ¹² How can anyone know what is best for us in this short, useless life of ours—a life that passes like a shadow? How can we know what will happen in the world after we die?

Warning against Pagan Influences

¹⁴ Do not try to work together as equals with unbelievers, for it cannot be done. How can right and wrong be partners? How can light and darkness live together? ¹⁵ How can Christ and the Devil agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ^16 (A)How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said,

7 All these promises are made to us, my dear friends. So then, let us purify ourselves from everything that makes body or soul unclean, and let us be completely holy by living in awe of God.

Paul's Joy

² Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one; we have ruined no one, nor tried to take advantage of anyone. ³ I do not say this to condemn you; for, as I have said before, you are so dear to us that we are always together, whether we live or die. ⁴ I am so sure of you; I take such pride in you! In all our troubles I am still full of courage; I am running over with joy.

^5 (D)Even after we arrived in Macedonia, we did not have any rest. There were troubles everywhere, quarrels with others, fears in our hearts. ⁶ But God, who encourages the downhearted, encouraged us with the coming of Titus. ⁷ It was not only his coming that cheered us, but also his report of how you encouraged him. He told us how much you want to see me, how sorry you are, how ready you are to defend me; and so I am even happier now.

The Supreme Ruler^[a]

¹⁶ If you make gifts to rich people or oppress the poor to get rich, you will become poor yourself.