Ecclesiastes
Chapter 1
1 The words of the
Preacher, son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.
2 Vanity of vanities,
said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3 What profit has a man
in all his toil at which he toils under the sun?
4 A generation goes and
a generation comes, and the earth stands forever.
5 And the sun rises and
the sun sets, and draws to its place;
6 rising there, it goes
toward the south and circles toward the north; circling and circling the wind
goes, and upon its circuits the wind returns.
7 All the torrents go
to the sea, and the sea will not be filled; to the place where the torrents go,
there they return to go again.
8 All words are
wearisome; a man will not be able to speak, and the eye will not be satisfied
with seeing, nor will the ear be filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what
shall be, and what has been done is what shall be done; and there is nothing at
all new under the sun.
10 Whoever will speak
and say, "See, this is new"—it has already been in the ages that were
before us.
11 There is no
remembrance of the former things, and indeed of the latest things that have
come to be there will be no remembrance of them among those who shall come to
be at the last.
12 I the Preacher was
king over Israel in Jerusalem;
13 and I gave my heart
to seek out and to examine by wisdom concerning all things that happen under
heaven; for God has given an evil distraction to the sons of man, to be
distracted by it.
14 I saw all the works
that are done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after
wind.
15 What is crooked
cannot be set in order, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.
16 I spoke in my heart,
saying: Behold, I have been made great and have added wisdom beyond all who
were before me in Jerusalem, and my heart has seen much, wisdom and knowledge.
17 And I gave my heart
to know wisdom and knowledge; parables and understanding I came to know—that
this too is a striving after wind;
18 for in abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge, and he
who adds knowledge will add pain.
Chapter 2
1 I said in my heart,
"Come now, I will test you with mirth; and see what is good." And
behold, this also was vanity.
2 Of laughter I said,
"Madness," and of mirth, "What does this accomplish?"
3 I examined in my
heart how to draw my flesh with wine — my heart still guiding me in wisdom and
how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what is good for the sons of man,
which they should do under the sun for the number of the days of their life.
4 I made my works
great: I built myself houses, I planted myself vineyards;
5 I made myself gardens
and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit tree;
6 I made myself pools
of water, to water from them a grove sprouting with trees;
7 I acquired male and
female slaves, and servants were born in my house; and I also had great
possessions of herds and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I also gathered for
myself silver and gold, and the treasures of kings and of the provinces; I got
myself men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of man,
cupbearers male and female.
9 So I became great,
and increased beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem; and my wisdom also
remained with me.
10 And whatever my eyes
desired, I did not withhold from them; I did not keep my heart from any joy,
for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion from all my
labor.
11 Then I looked on all
my works that my hands had made, and on the labor in which I had labored to do,
and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there is no profit
under the sun.
12 And I turned to
consider wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what is the man who will come
after the counsel, in all the things it has done?
13 And I saw that there
is a profit in wisdom over folly, as the profit of light over darkness:
14 the wise man's eyes
are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I also came to know that
one fate befalls them all.
15 Then I said in my
heart, "As is the fate of the fool, so also will it befall me; and why
then have I been so wise?" And I said in my heart that this also is vanity,
for the fool speaks out of abundance, for this too is vanity.
16 For there is no
memory of the wise man along with the fool forever, since in the days to come
all will have been forgotten. And how does the wise man die just like the fool!
17 So I hated life,
because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is
vanity and a striving after wind.
18 And I hated all my
labor in which I labor under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who
comes after me;
19 and who knows
whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will have power over all my labor in
which I labored and in which I showed myself wise under the sun. This also is
vanity.
20 So I turned to make
my heart despair over all the labor in which I had labored under the sun,
21 because there is a
man whose labor is in wisdom and in knowledge and in skill, yet he must give
his portion to a man who has not labored at it. This also is vanity and a great
evil.
22 For what does a man
have from all his labor and from the striving of his heart, in which he labors
under the sun?
23 For all his days are
pains, and his occupation is vexation; even in the night his heart does not
rest. This also is vanity.
24 There is nothing
good for a man except what he eats and drinks and what he shows his soul as
good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God;
25 for who can eat, and
who can have enjoyment, apart from him?
26 For to the man who
is good before his face he has given wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the
sinner he has given the task of adding and gathering, to give to the one who is
good before the face of God. For this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Chapter 3
1 For everything there
is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born and
a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what has been 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 cast away stones and a time to
gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to be far from embracing,
6 a time to seek and a
time to lose, a time to keep and a time to cast away,
7 a time to tear and a
time to sew, a time to keep silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a
time to hate, a time of war and a time of peace.
9 What profit has the
worker in that at which he toils?
10 I have seen the
business that God has given to the sons of man to be busied with.
11 He has made
everything beautiful in its time; moreover, he has set eternity in their heart,
so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from beginning to end.
12 I know that there is
nothing good in them except to rejoice and to do good in one's life;
13 and also that every
man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his toil—this is the gift of God.
14 I know that
everything God has done will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and
nothing can be taken from it; and God has done it so that men should fear
before him.
15 That which is has
already been, and what is to be has already been, and God will seek out what
has been pursued.
16 And moreover I saw
under the sun the place of judgment—wickedness was there; and the place of
righteousness; wickedness was there.
17 I said in my heart,
God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every
matter and for every work.
18 I said in my heart
concerning the speech of the sons of man, that God will test them, and to show
that they themselves are beasts, even they themselves.
19 For the fate of the
sons of man and the fate of the beast is one fate for them: as the one dies, so
dies the other, and all have one breath; and what advantage has man over the
beast? None, for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place:
all came from the dust, and all return to the dust.
21 And who knows
whether the spirit of the sons of man goes upward, and whether the spirit of
the beast goes down below to the earth?
22 And I saw that there
is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his
portion; for who will bring him to see what will be after him?
Chapter 4
1 And I turned and saw
all the oppressions that are done under the sun; and behold, the tears of the
oppressed, and they have no one to comfort them; and power is in the hand of
those who oppress them, and they have no one to comfort them.
2 And I praised the
dead who have already died more than the living, as many as are alive until
now;
3 and better than both
of these is he who has not yet been, who has not seen the evil work that is
done under the sun.
4 And I saw all the
toil and all the skill of work, that it is a man's envy of his neighbor; this
also is vanity and a striving after wind.
5 The fool folds his
hands and eats his own flesh.
6 Better is a handful
with rest than two handfuls with toil and striving after wind.
7 And I turned and saw
vanity under the sun.
8 There is one, and
there is no second; indeed, he has neither son nor brother; and there is no end
to all his toil, nor is his eye satisfied with wealth. And for whom do I toil
and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity and an evil business.
9 Two are better than
one, who have a good reward for their toil;
10 for if they fall,
the one will raise up his companion; but woe to the one alone, when he falls
and there is no second to raise him up.
11 Also, if two lie
down together, they have warmth; but how shall one be warm alone?
12 And if one prevails
against him, the two shall stand against him; and a threefold cord shall not
quickly be broken.
13 Better is a poor and
wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to take heed;
14 for out of the house
of prisoners he shall come forth to reign, for even in his own kingdom he was
born poor.
15 I saw all the living
who walk under the sun with the second youth who shall stand in his place;
16 there is no end to
all the people, to all who were before them; and yet those who come after shall
not rejoice in him; for this also is vanity and a striving after wind.
17 Guard your foot
whenever you go to the house of God, and be near to listen; your sacrifice is
better than the gift of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.
Chapter 5
1 Do not be hasty with
your mouth, and let not your heart be quick to bring forth a word before the
face of God; for God is in heaven, and you are upon the earth; therefore let
your words be few.
2 For a dream comes
with a multitude of busyness, and the voice of a fool with a multitude of
words.
3 Whenever you vow a
vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for there is no pleasure in fools; whatever
you vow, pay it.
4 It is better for you
not to vow than to vow and not to pay.
5 Do not give your
mouth cause to make your flesh sin, and do not say before the face of God,
"It was an error," lest God be angry at your voice and destroy the
works of your hands.
6 For in a multitude of
dreams there are also vanities and many words; but fear God.
7 If you see oppression
of the poor and the seizing of judgment and justice in a province, do not
marvel at the matter; for one high official watches over another high official,
and higher ones over them.
8 And the abundance of
the earth is for all: a king is served by the cultivated field.
9 He who loves money will not be satisfied
with money; and who has loved gain in the abundance of it? This also is vanity.
10 In the abundance of
goods those who eat them are multiplied; and what advantage is there to its
owner, except to see it with his eyes?
11 Sweet is the sleep
of the servant, whether he eats little or much; but to him who is filled with
riches, there is nothing that permits him to sleep.
12 There is a sickness
which I have seen under the sun: wealth kept by its owner to his own harm,
13 and that wealth
perishes in an evil occupation; and he begets a son, and there is nothing in
his hand.
14 As he came forth
from his mother's womb naked, he shall return to go as he came, and he shall
take nothing of his toil that he may carry away in his hand.
15 And this also is a
grievous sickness: for just as he came, so also he shall go away; and what
advantage has he, who toils for the wind?
16 Indeed, all his days
are in darkness and mourning and much anger and sickness and wrath.
17 Behold, what I have
seen to be good, what is fitting: to eat and to drink and to see goodness in
all one's toil at which one toils under the sun, the number of the days of
one's life which God has given him; for this is his portion.
18 Indeed, every man to
whom God has given wealth and possessions, and has empowered him to eat of it
and to take his portion and to rejoice in his toil, this is a gift of God.
19 For he will not much
remember the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness
of his heart.
Chapter 6
1 There is an evil
which I have seen under the sun, and it is great upon man:
2 a man to whom God
gives wealth and possessions and honor, and his soul lacks nothing of all that
he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a stranger eats it—this
is vanity and an evil affliction.
3 If a man begets a
hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many,
and his soul is not filled with good, and moreover he has no burial, I say that
a miscarriage is better than he;
4 for it comes in
vanity and departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered;
5 moreover it has not
seen the sun nor known anything—it has more rest than he.
6 And though he lived a
thousand years twice over, yet has seen no good, do not all go to one place?
7 All the toil of man
is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled.
8 For what advantage
has the wise man over the fool? What does the poor man know but to walk before
the living?
9 Better is the sight
of the eyes than the wandering of the soul. This also is vanity and a striving
after wind.
10 Whatever has come to
be, its name has already been called, and it is known what man is, and he
cannot contend with one stronger than himself.
11 For there are many
words that increase vanity. What advantage has man?
12 For who knows what
is good for man in life, during the number of the days of his vain life? He
spends them like a shadow. For who can tell a man what will be after him under
the sun?
Chapter 7
1 A good name is better
than good oil, and the day of death better than the day of one's birth.
2 It is better to go to
a house of mourning than to go to a house of drinking, since this is the end of
every man, and the living will lay it to his heart.
3 Anger is better than
laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made better.
4 The heart of the wise
is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to hear
the rebuke of a wise man than for a man to hear the song of fools;
6 for as the sound of
thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools; this also is vanity.
7 For oppression makes
a wise man mad, and destroys the heart of his strength.
8 Better is the end of
words than their beginning; better is one patient in spirit than one lofty in
spirit.
9 Do not be hasty in
your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
10 Do not say,
"Why is it that the former days were better than these?" For it is
not in wisdom that you have inquired about this.
11 Wisdom is good with
an inheritance, and an advantage to those who see the sun;
12 for wisdom is in its
shadow as the shadow of silver, and the advantage of the knowledge of wisdom
will give life to him who has it.
13 Behold the works of
God: for who will be able to make straight what God has made crooked?
14 In the day of
prosperity live in good, and in the day of adversity consider: indeed God has
made this consistent with that, so that man may find nothing after him.
15 I have seen all
things in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous man perishing in his
righteousness, and there is an ungodly man remaining in his wickedness.
16 Do not be overly
righteous, nor make yourself excessively wise, lest you be confounded.
17 Do not be very
ungodly, and do not be stubborn, lest you die before your time.
18 It is good that you
hold fast to this, and also from that do not withhold your hand; for he who
fears God will come forth from all these things.
19 Wisdom will help the
wise man more than ten rulers who are in the city.
20 For there is no
righteous man on earth who will do good and not sin.
21 Also do not take to
heart all the words that they speak, lest you hear your servant cursing you;
22 for many times he
will do you evil, and on many occasions he will afflict your heart, just as you
also have cursed others.
23 All these things I
tested by wisdom; I said, "I will be wise,"
24 but it was far from
me, farther than it was, and a deep depth, who will find it?
25 I turned about, I
and my heart, to know and to search out and to seek wisdom and reckoning, and
to know the folly of the ungodly, and stubbornness and madness.
26 And I find more
bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are
bonds. He who is good before God will be delivered from her, but the sinner
will be caught by her.
27 Behold, this I have
found, said the Preacher, adding one thing to another to find out the
reckoning,
28 which my soul still
sought but I did not find: one man among a thousand I found, but a woman among
all these I did not find.
29 Only see, this I
have found: that God made man upright, but they have sought out many
reckonings.
Chapter 8
1 Who knows the wise?
And who knows the interpretation of a saying? A man's wisdom will make his face
shine, but the shameless man will be hated for his face.
2 Keep the king's
command, and concerning the word of an oath to God, be not hasty.
3 You shall go from his
presence; do not stand in an evil matter, for he will do whatever he wills,
4 even as a king speaks
with authority, and who will say to him, "What are you doing?"
5 He who keeps the
commandment shall know no evil thing, and the heart of the wise man knows the
time of judgment;
6 for there is a time
and a judgment for every matter, for the knowledge of man is heavy upon him;
7 for there is no one
who knows what shall be, for who will tell him how it shall be?
8 There is no man who
has authority over the spirit to restrain the spirit; and there is no authority
over the day of death, and there is no discharge in the war, and ungodliness
will not save the one who belongs to it.
9 And all this I saw,
and I gave my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, all the
things in which man has exercised authority over man to hurt him.
10 And then I saw the
ungodly brought to their tombs, and they went from the holy place and were
praised in the city, because they had done thus. This too is vanity.
11 Because sentence
against those who do evil is not carried out speedily, therefore the heart of
the sons of man is fully set within them to do evil.
12 He who has sinned
has done evil from that time, and from long duration for him; yet I also know
that it shall be well with those who fear God, that they may fear before his
face;
13 but it shall not be
well with the ungodly, and he shall not prolong his days like a shadow, who
does not fear before the face of God.
14 There is a vanity
which has been done upon the earth: that there are righteous men to whom it
happens according to the work of the ungodly, and there are ungodly men to whom
it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this too is
vanity.
15 And I praised
gladness, because there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat
and to drink and to be glad; and this shall accompany him in his toil the days
of his life, as many as God has given him under the sun.
16 In these things I
gave my heart to know wisdom and to see the busy work that is done upon the
earth, for even by day and by night one sees no sleep with his eyes
17 and I saw all the
works of God, that a man shall not be able to find out the work that is done
under the sun; however much a man may toil to seek, yet he shall not find it;
and even if the wise man says he knows, he shall not be able to find it.
Chapter 9
1 For all this I laid
to my heart, and my heart saw all this: that the righteous and the wise and
their works are in the hand of God; and indeed man does not know either love or
hatred; all things are before them,
2 vanity in all. One
event befalls the righteous and the wicked, the good and the evil, the clean
and the unclean, the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice; as
is the good, so is the sinner; as is the one who swears, so is the one who
fears an oath.
3 This is an evil in
everything done under the sun, that one event befalls all; and indeed the heart
of the sons of man is filled with evil, and madness is in their heart during
their life, and after them they go to the dead.
4 For who is he that
has fellowship with all the living? There is hope, for a living dog is better
than a dead lion.
5 For the living know
that they will die, but the dead know nothing; and there is no longer any
reward for them, for the memory of them is forgotten.
6 Indeed their love and
their hatred and their envy have already perished, and there is no portion for
them any more forever in anything done under the sun.
7 Come, eat your bread
with joy and drink your wine with a good heart, for God has already approved
your works.
8 At every season let
your garments be white, and let not oil be lacking upon your head.
9 See life with the
wife whom you have loved, all the days of the life of your vanity, which are
given to you under the sun, all the days of your vanity; for this is your
portion in your life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun.
10 All that your hand
finds to do, do according to your strength; for there is no work or reckoning
or knowledge or wisdom in Hades, where you are going.
11 I turned and saw
under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty,
nor indeed bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those
who have knowledge; for time and chance befall them all.
12 For indeed man does
not know his time: like fish caught in an evil net, and like birds caught in a
snare, so the sons of man are ensnared at an evil time, when it falls upon them
suddenly.
13 This also I saw as
wisdom under the sun, and it was great to me:
14 a small city with
few men in it, and a great king came against it and surrounded it and built
great siegeworks against it;
15 and there was found
in it a poor wise man, and he saved the city by his wisdom; yet no man
remembered that poor man.
16 And I said, Wisdom
is better than strength; yet the wisdom of the poor man is despised, and his
words are not heard.
17 The words of the
wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of one who rules among fools.
18 Wisdom is better
than weapons of war, but one sinner will destroy much good.
Chapter 10
1 Dead flies cause a
preparation of sweet oil to putrefy; a little wisdom is more precious than the
glory of great folly.
2 The heart of a wise
man is at his right hand, and the heart of a fool at his left.
3 And even when a fool
walks along the way, his heart will fail him, and all that he reckons is folly.
4 If the spirit of the
ruler rises up against you, do not leave your place, for healing will put an
end to great sins.
5 There is an evil
which I have seen under the sun, as it were an error which proceeded from the
presence of the ruler:
6 the fool has been set
in great heights, while the rich will sit in a low place.
7 I have seen slaves
upon horses, and princes walking as slaves upon the earth.
8 He who digs a pit
will fall into it, and one who breaks down a hedge, a serpent will bite him.
9 He who removes stones
will be pained by them; he who splits wood will be endangered by it.
10 If the iron tool
falls, and he has troubled his face, then he must exert more strength; and the
advantage of the valiant man is wisdom.
11 If the serpent bites
without a whisper, there is no advantage to the charmer.
12 The words of a wise
man's mouth are grace, but the lips of a fool will drown him.
13 The beginning of the
words of his mouth is folly, and the end of his mouth is wicked madness;
14 and the fool
multiplies words. Man does not know what has been, and what will be after him, who
will declare it to him?
15 The toil of fools
will weary them, one who does not know how to go to the city.
16 Woe to you, O city,
whose king is young and whose princes eat in the morning.
17 Blessed are you, O
land, whose king is a son of free men, and whose princes eat at the proper
time, in strength, and will not be put to shame.
18 Through slothfulness
the roof-beams will sink low, and through idleness of hands the house will
leak.
19 They make bread for
laughter, and wine gladdens the living, and money will answer all things.
20 Even in your
conscience do not curse the king, and in the chambers of your bedrooms do not
curse the rich; for a bird of the sky will carry the voice, and he who has
wings will report the word.
Chapter 11
1 Cast your bread upon
the face of the waters, for in the multitude of days you will find it.
2 Give a portion to
seven, and even to eight, for you do not know what evil will come upon the
earth.
3 If the clouds are
filled with rain, they pour it out upon the earth; and if a tree falls in the
south, or in the north, in the place where the tree falls, there it will lie.
4 He who watches the
wind will not sow, and he who looks at the clouds will not reap,
5 among whom there is
none who knows what is the way of the wind. As bones in the womb of her who is
with child, so you will not know the works of God, all that he will do.
6 In the morning sow
your seed, and toward evening do not let your hand rest, for you do not know
which will succeed, this or that, or whether both alike will be good.
7 And sweet is the
light, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun;
8 for even if a man
lives many years, he will rejoice in them all, and he will remember the days of
darkness, for they will be many; all that comes is vanity.
9 Rejoice, young man,
in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in
the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, and know that for all
these things God will bring you into judgment.
10 And remove anger
from your heart, and put away evil from your flesh, for youth and folly are
vanity.
Chapter 12
1 And remember your
Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of evil come, and the years
draw near in which you will say, "I have no pleasure in them";
2 before the sun and
the light and the moon and the stars are darkened, and the clouds return after
the rain;
3 in the day when the
keepers of the house tremble, and the men of strength are bent, and the
grinding women cease because they have become few, and those who look through
the openings grow dark;
4 and they shall shut
the doors in the marketplace, when the sound of the grinding woman is faint,
and one shall rise up at the voice of the sparrow, and all the daughters of
song shall be brought low;
5 and indeed they shall
look from the height, and terrors shall be in the way; and the almond tree
shall blossom, and the locust shall grow fat, and the caper shall be scattered,
because the man has gone to his eternal home, and the mourners have gone about
in the marketplace;
6 before the silver
cord is overturned, and the golden flower is crushed, and the pitcher is
shattered at the spring, and the wheel runs down into the cistern,
7 and the dust returns
to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
8 Vanity of vanities,
said the Preacher; all is vanity.
9 And furthermore,
because the Preacher was wise, he also taught the people knowledge, and the ear
will trace out the ordering of parables.
10 The Preacher sought
much to find words of pleasure, and a writing of uprightness, words of truth.
11 The words of the
wise are like goads, and like nails firmly planted, which were given from the
collections by one shepherd, and more from them.
12 My son, beware of
making many books: there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh.
13 The end of the
matter, the whole is heard: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the
whole of man.
14 For God will bring
every work into judgment, with everything that has been overlooked, whether it
be good or whether it be evil.