Old/New Testament
Chapter 4
The Victor and the Tyrant. 1 Then I contemplated all the acts of oppression that are committed under the sun:
I saw the tears of the oppressed,
with no one present to comfort them.
Power was wielded by their oppressors,
and no one was there to comfort them.
2 As a result, I regarded the dead as fortunate,
because they had already died
and thus were happier than the living
who were still alive.
3 But happier than both of these
is the one yet unborn
who has not witnessed the evil deeds
that are done under the sun.
Concurrence of Toil and Envy.[a] 4 Then I came to realize that all toil and skill in work derive from one person’s envy of another. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind.
5 The fool folds his arms
and consumes his own flesh.[b]
6 Better is one handful with peace of mind
than two handfuls with toil
and a chase after the wind.
Union Builds Strength. 7 Again I observed vanity under the sun:
8 There was a solitary individual,
without a friend, with neither a son nor a brother.
Yet there was no end to his toil,
and wealth did not satisfy his greed.
“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,
“and depriving myself of pleasures?”
This also is vanity
and a worthless task.
9 Two are better than one:
they earn a far greater reward for their toil.
10 And if one should fall,
his companion will help him up.
How pathetic is the man who is alone and falls
and has no one to assist him to his feet.
11 In the same way, if two sleep together, they keep warm,
but how can one who sleeps by himself keep warm?
12 And where a single man can be overcome,
two together will be able to resist.
A cord with three strands is not easily broken.
13 Deception of Political Regimes.[c] Better is a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish king who will no longer take advice. 14 One can emerge from prison to be crowned as a king, even though he was born in poverty in that kingdom.
15 And I observed all those who live and move under the sun willingly give their support to that young man who succeeded the king.[d] 16 There was a mass of people beyond counting over whom he reigned. And yet those who succeed him will not venerate his memory. This also is vanity and a chase after the wind.
17 The Religious Illusion. Be circumspect when you visit the house of God. Drawing near to listen is far better than the offering of a sacrifice by fools, for fools do not know how to avoid doing wrong.
Chapter 5
1 Never be in a hurry to speak
or hastily make a promise to God,
for God is in heaven
and you are on earth;
therefore, let your words be few.
2 As dreams come when there are many cares,
so does the speech of a fool when there are many words.[e]
3 When you make a vow[f] to God, do not delay in fulfilling it, for God has no pleasure in fools. Fulfill the vow you have made. 4 It is preferable not to make a vow than to make it and fail to fulfill it.
5 Do not allow your mouth to lead you into sin and then plead before God’s messenger[g] that it was all a mistake. Otherwise God will become angered at your words and destroy the work of your hands. 6 A profusion of dreams leads to excessive vanity. Therefore, fear God.
Under the Pretext of General Interests. 7 If in some part of the realm you witness the oppression of the poor and the violation of rights and justice, do not be surprised; for every high official is supervised by one who is higher in rank, and the one who has the highest rank keeps watch over them all. 8 A country is best served when a king is in charge of the fertile fields.[h]
Money: An Insatiable Desire
9 One who is covetous will never be satisfied with money,
nor will the lover of wealth be content with gain.
This too is vanity.
10 When riches increase,
so do those who are eager to accumulate them,
and those who have accumulated them must remain content
simply to feast their eyes on them.
11 Sleep is sweet to the laborer,
whether he has much or little to eat,
but the vast riches of a wealthy man
do not allow him to sleep.
12 There is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun:
Riches are hoarded by their owner to his disadvantage,
13 or riches are lost by some misfortune,
so that he has nothing remaining to leave to his son.
14 Just as he came forth naked from his mother’s womb,
so shall he depart, naked as he came,
with nothing remaining from his labor
that he can carry away in his hands.
15 This too is a grievous evil:
Just as he came, so must he go,
and what profit can he have after toiling for the wind?
16 All of his days are spent in darkness
with great anxiety, sickness, and resentment.
17 The Happiness Suitable for Humans. This is the conclusion I have reached: it is fitting for a man to eat and drink and find satisfaction in the results of his labors under the sun during the brief span of life that God has allotted him. 18 Moreover, the one to whom God grants wealth and possessions and the ability to enjoy them and to find contentment in his toil receives a gift from God. 19 For it is unlikely that he will brood about the passing years inasmuch as God keeps his heart filled with joy.[i]
Chapter 6
The Impossible Profit.[j] 1 There is another evil that I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on the human race. 2 God may grant a man wealth, prosperity, and honor so that he lacks none of the things he desires. However, if God does not enable him to enjoy these gifts but rather allows someone else to revel in their benefits, this is vanity and a grievous ill.
3 A man may father a hundred children and live for many years, but no matter how many his days may be, if he does not have the opportunity to enjoy the good things of life and in the end receives no burial, I maintain that a stillborn child is more fortunate than he.[k]
4 For that child came in vain and departed in darkness, and in darkness will his name be enveloped. 5 Moreover, it has never seen the sun or known anything, yet its state is better than his. 6 It could live a thousand years twice over and experience no enjoyment, yet both will go to the same place.[l]
7 All man’s toil is for the mouth,
yet his appetite is never satisfied.
8 For what advantage does the wise man have
over the fool,
or what advantage do the poor have
in knowing how to conduct themselves in life?
9 What the eye sees is better
than what desire craves.
This also is vanity
and a chase after the wind.
What a Human Being Is: Conclusion to Part I
10 Whatever exists was given its name long ago,
and the nature of man is known,
as well as the fact that he cannot contend
with one who is stronger than he.[m]
11 The more words we speak,
the more our vanity increases,
so what advantage do we gain?
12 For who knows what is good for a man while he lives the few days of his vain life, through which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen here afterward under the sun?
Chapter 12
Caught Up into Heaven.[a] 1 Although nothing is to be gained by doing so, I must continue to boast. So I will move on to the visions and revelations given me from the Lord.
2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. 3 And I know that this man (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows) 4 was caught up into paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no man may repeat.
5 About this man I am willing to boast, but about myself I will not boast, except as it concerns my weaknesses. 6 Actually, if I were to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be telling the truth. However, I refrain from doing so in order that no one may regard me more highly than would be evident from what he has seen in me and heard from me.
A Boast of One’s Weakness.[b] 7 Therefore, to keep me from becoming unduly elated by the wondrous nature of these revelations, I was given a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to beat me and prevent me from becoming unduly elated. 8 Three times I begged the Lord to have it leave me, 9 but he answered me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”
Hence, I will boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell within me. 10 For this reason, I rejoice when I endure weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and distress for the sake of Christ. For it is when I am weak that I am strong.
11 Characteristic Traits of an Apostle. I have been very foolish, but it was you who drove me to it. I should have been commended by you, for in no way did I prove to be inferior to those super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The traits of a true apostle were evident in what I did in your presence: perseverance, signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. 13 How then have you been less privileged than the other Churches, except that I myself did not place a burden on you? Forgive me for being so unfair!
14 Now I am getting ready to come to you for a third time, and I do not intend to be a burden to you. What I want is not your money, but you yourselves. Children are not expected to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 I will be happy to spend and be spent for you. Are you going to love me less because I love you so much more?
16 In any case, let it be assumed that I myself did not prove to be a burden to you. However, you may say that I was crafty and took you in by a trick. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of those I sent to you? 18 I urged Titus to come to you, and I sent a brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did not he and I walk in the same Spirit, in the same footsteps?
19 There Will Be No More Forgiveness. Have you been supposing all this time that we have been defending ourselves before you? Not at all! We have been speaking in Christ and in the presence of God, my dear ones, doing all things to build you up. 20 I fear that when I come I may find you different from what I wish you to be, and that you may find me different from what you wish me to be.
I am afraid that this will lead to quarreling, jealousy, anger, factions, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come back my God may humiliate me in your presence and that I may have to mourn over many who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and licentiousness in which they have indulged.
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