Old/New Testament
Editor’s Note[a]
Chapter 1
1 The words of Qoheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity[b] of vanities, says Qoheleth,
vanity of vanities! Everything is vanity.
3 What profit does anyone gain from all his labor
at which he toils under the sun?[c]
Introductory Poem[d]
There Is Nothing New under the Sun
4 One generation passes away and another generation succeeds it,
but the earth stands firm forever.
5 The sun rises and the sun sets;
then it returns to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows southward and then veers to the north,
constantly turning as it repeats its course.
7 All the rivers go to the sea,
and yet the sea never overflows,
for the rivers continue to return
to their place of origin.
8 All things[e] are wearisome
and very difficult to express.
The eyes are not satisfied with seeing
and the ears do not have their fill of hearing.
9 What has been will be so again,
and what has been done will be done again;
there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Whatever is perceived to be new
has already existed in the ages before us.
11 Those people who died in ages past
are no longer remembered,
and the people yet to be born
will not be remembered by those who come after them.
The Impossible Happiness[f]
12 Much Wisdom, Much Anguish.[g] When I, Qoheleth, ruled as king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13 I applied the wisdom I possessed to study and explore everything that is done under the sun, a thankless task that God has given to men to keep us occupied. 14 I have seen everything that has been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a chase after the wind.[h]
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I thought to myself, “I have acquired great wisdom, far surpassing all those who preceded me in Jerusalem. My mind has mastered every facet of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 However, as I applied my mind to gain a complete understanding of wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly, I came to realize that this too is a chase after the wind.
18 For much wisdom can result in much sorrow,
and those who increase their knowledge also increase their grief.[i]
Chapter 2
What Good Is It To Be Successful?[j] 1 Then I said to myself, “All right, I will pursue pleasure and the enjoyment of good things.” However, this also proved to be vanity. 2 I regarded laughter as madness and pleasure as vanity. 3 Then, while my mind was guiding me with wisdom, I sought to cheer my body with wine and the pursuit of folly, for I was determined to discover what was the best way for men to spend the few days of their life under the heavens.[k]
4 I undertook grandiose projects. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. 5 I made for myself gardens and parks and filled them with every kind of fruit tree. 6 I developed pools that would enable me to water my grove of growing trees.
7 I purchased male and female slaves, and slaves were also born in my house. In addition, I had large herds and flocks, far more than any who had preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 I amassed for myself silver and gold and the treasures of kings and provinces. I acquired singers, both male and female, and every possible human luxury.[l] 9 In this way I became great, and I surpassed all my predecessors in Jerusalem, while my wisdom continued to strengthen me.
10 I did not deny my eyes anything that they coveted,
nor did I deprive my heart of any pleasure.
For I found delight in all my labors,
and this was the reward I had for all my efforts.
11 However, once I began to reflect on all that my hands had accomplished
and the effort I had exerted in achieving it,
I again came to the realization that everything was vanity and a chase after the wind,
and that there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
The Wise Man Must Die No Less than the Fool
12 Then my reflections focused on wisdom
as well as madness and folly,
and I came to the realization that whoever succeeds a king can do nothing,
since everything has already been done.
13 I also came to understand that more is to be gained from wisdom than from folly,[m]
just as light is more profitable than darkness.
14 The wise keep their eyes open,
whereas fools walk in darkness.
And yet at the same time I realized
that the same fate befalls them both.
15 Then I thought to myself,
“If the fate of the fool will also be my fate,
then why have I been wise?
In what way do I profit?”
And I came to the conclusion
that this too is vanity.
16 The wise man is remembered no longer than the fool,
because in the days to come both will have been forgotten.
The wise man must die no less than the fool.
17 As a result, I came to hate life,
since I loathe the work that is done under the sun;
for all is vanity and a chase after the wind.
A Chase after the Wind
18 So Many Labors with the Profit Going to Others.[n] Therefore, I have come to hate all my labor and toil under the sun because I now must bequeath its fruits to my successor.[o] 19 And I have no way of knowing in advance whether he will be wise or a fool. Either way, he will be the master of all the fruits of my work for which I toiled and employed my wisdom under the sun. This too is vanity.
20 As a result, I surrendered to feelings of despair concerning all of my labor and toil here under the sun. 21 For even though a man may labor with wisdom and knowledge and skill, he must leave everything he has to be enjoyed by another who has not toiled for it in any way. This also is vanity and a great misfortune.
22 For what does a man gain from all the toil and effort that he has expended under the sun? 23 His days are filled with pain and his labors are filled with stress. Even at night he has no peace of mind. This also is vanity.
24 The Happiness of Simple Things.[p] There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and to experience pleasure in his achievements. And I also came to realize that this too comes from God’s hand. 25 For without him who could eat or drink?
26 God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to those who please him, but to sinners he gives the task of gathering and amassing wealth that is to be given to someone who pleases him. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind.[q]
Chapter 3
A Time for Everything[r]
1 For everything there is a season,
and a time[s] for every activity under heaven.
2 A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
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 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 from embracing.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to discard.
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 gain does the worker have from his toil? 10 I have observed the tasks that God has designated to keep men occupied. 11 He has made everything suitable for its time, and he has given men a sense of past and future,[t] but they never have the slightest comprehension of what God has wrought from beginning to end.
12 I understand that man’s greatest happiness is to be glad and do well throughout his life. 13 And when we eat and drink and find satisfaction in all our labors, this is a gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or subtracted from it. God has done this so that everyone will be in awe standing in his presence.
15 Whatever is now has already been,
that which is to come already is,
and God will restore whatever might be displaced.
16 The Problem of Retribution.[u] Moreover, I observed something else under the sun:
Where justice should be, there was wickedness,
and iniquity was in the place of righteousness.
17 But I remained confident in my belief
that God will judge both the righteous and the wicked,
for he has appointed a time for every matter
and he will issue a judgment on every work.
18 I said to myself that in dealing with men it is God’s purpose to test them in order to show them that they are animals. 19 For the fate of men and beasts is identical: as the one dies, so does the other. They all have the same life-breath, and man has no advantage over the beast in this regard. For everything is vanity. 20 All go to the same place: all were made from the dust, and to the dust all will return.
21 Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of an animal goes downward to the earth?[v] 22 And so I came to realize that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his work, since that is his lot. No one has the power to let him see what will happen after he is gone.
16 Paul’s Boast. I repeat: let no one take me for a fool. However, if you do, then treat me like a fool and let me boast a little. 17 In saying this, I am not speaking according to the Lord but out of foolishness in the conviction that I have something to boast about. 18 Since many boast of their human accomplishments, I will do likewise.
19 Since you are wise yourselves, you gladly put up with fools! 20 For you endure it if someone makes slaves of you, or robs you of all you possess, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or slaps you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must admit that we have been too weak for that sort of thing!
But whatever anyone dares to boast of—I am speaking out of foolishness—I also dare to boast of. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham?[a] So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?[b] (I am talking now like a madman.) I am too, having endured far greater labors, far more imprisonments, far harsher scourgings, and far more brushes with death.
24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one.[c] 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; once I was adrift in the open sea for a night and a day. 26 I have traveled continually and faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the desert, dangers at sea, and dangers from false brethren.
27 I have endured toil and hardship, and sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty, and I have often gone without food. I have been cold, and often all but naked.
28 Apart from these external things, I am burdened each and every day with the anxiety of caring for all the Churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not similarly afflicted? Who is led into sinfulness, and I am not filled with indignation?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that exhibit my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows—he who is blessed forever—that I am telling the truth. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas[d] assigned guards around the city of Damascus in order to arrest me. 33 However, I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and I thereby escaped from his clutches.
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