2 “Totally pointless,” says the leader.

“A complete waste of time. Everything’s worthless.”

3 What profit does humanity gain from all their hard work in this world?

4 Generations come, and generations go,

but the world just carries on going.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets,

then rushes around to its place, rising there again.

6 Going to the south then around to the north,

the wind is going, changing, turning,

then it’s returning on its rounds.

7 All the rivers flow into the sea but it never gets full.

The place that the rivers are going to, they end up going there again.

8 Everything is wearisome—not even worth talking about.

The eyes never stop seeing,

and your ears never fill up with everything they hear.

9 Whatever that was in the past, it will be in the future,

and everything that’s happened before, will happen again.

There’s nothing new in this world.

10 If someone says, “Look at this—it’s new,”

well, it was already done long ago before we even got here.

11 Things that happened in the past get forgotten,

and the same will also happen for future events.

People in the future will be exactly the same.

12 I, the leader, was king over Yisrael in Yerushalem.

13 I used my mind and wisdom to discover and to explore everything that is done in this world.

It’s a difficult job that God has given humanity to be busy with.

14 I saw all the deeds that are done in this world,

and look—everything’s pointless like chasing after the wind.

15 Something that’s bent can’t be straightened again,

≈and what’s missing can’t be counted.

16 I spoke with sincerity, saying, “Look at me—I’ve become powerful,

and I’ve increased in wisdom relative to everyone who ruled before me here in Yerushalem.[ref]

My mind has acquired much knowledge and wisdom.”

17 I made it my aim to discover knowledge and wisdom versus madness and folly.

I was aware that that also is chasing after the wind

18 because having much wisdom leads to much frustration

≈and anyone who’s adding knowledge is also adding pain.

2 I said to myself,

“Come on, let me find out what’s good and enjoy the pleasure from them.”

But look, it was also pointless.

2 To laughter, I said, “It’s madness,”

≈and to joy, “What’s the point of this?”

3 I explored in myself how to indulge my body with wine, but my mind was guiding me in wisdom.

Also, how to grasp foolishness

until I could see whether that’s better for humanity to do while they live out their lives here on this earth.

4 I expanded my program of works.

I built houses for myself.

I planted vineyards for myself.[ref]

5 I made gardens for myself, and royal parks,

and I planted all different kinds of fruit trees in them.

6 I constructed pools for myself

to irrigate a forest of growing trees.

7 I acquired male and female servants,

and the children born to them belonged to me.

Also a large number of sheep and cattle belonged to me—

more than all my predecessors in Yerushalem.[ref]

8 I also accumulated gold and silver for myself,

and treasure from kings and from the provinces.

I appointed male and female singers for myself,

and the pleasures of the sons of humanity—many women.[ref]

9 So I became famous,

and I added more than all who preceded me in Yerushalem.

Also my wisdom stayed with me.[ref]

10 Everything my eyes wanted, I gave them.

I didn’t hold back from anything that would make me happy,

because I was happy inside from all my work

and that was my reward from all my effort.

11 And I turned, I, to all the things that I’d made

and to the work that I’d done,

and look, everything was pointless and chasing after the wind,

and there wasn’t any profit in anything done in this world.

12 Then I changed direction to investigate wisdom and madness and folly,

because what could any future king do that hasn’t already been done?

13 I saw that wisdom is to be preferred over folly,

just as light is to be preferred over darkness.

14 The wise person uses their eyes,

but the fool walks in the darkness,

and even I know that the same fate comes to both of them.

15 I said to myself, “The fool’s end will also come to me,

so what use was it being so wise back then?”

Then I told myself that that also is pointless,

16 because neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered forever,

as they’ll both be forgotten in the days to come—

and how strange it is that the wise die just like the fool?

17 Then I hated life because of the misfortune around me—

the work that was done in this world,

because everything was pointless and chasing after the wind.

18 Then I hated all the work that I’d done in this world

that will get left to those who follow me after I go.

19 And who knows whether my successor will be wise or a fool?

He’ll have authority over all my projects that I worked hard on

and which I’ve applied wisdom to in this world.

That also was pointless.

20 Then I changed to despairing over all the projects in this world that I’d worked hard on,

21 because there are people whose work is in wisdom and knowledge, and in skill.

However, then a person who hasn’t worked on it, will gain it as their inheritance.

That also is pointless and a great misfortune

22 because what does a person get in exchange for all their work and their goals in life that they work towards in this world?

23 Because all his days are painful, and anger is his business—

even in the night, his mind doesn’t rest.

That also is pointless.[ref]

24 There’s nothing better for humanity other than eating and drinking,

and genuinely enjoying their hard work.

Also I saw that that comes from God[ref]

25 because who could eat and enjoy life apart from him?

26 Yes, he gives wisdom and knowledge and happiness to people who are good in his sight.

But to the sinner, he gives the job of gathering and collecting to give to the one who’s good in God’s sight.

That also is pointless and chasing after the wind.[ref]

3 There’s an appointed time for everything,

and an appropriate time for every activity in this world:

2 A time to give birth and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to pull out what was 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 cry and a time to laugh.

A time to mourn and a time to dance.

5 A time to throw stones and a time to pick up stones.

A time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing.

6 A time to search and a time to lose.

A time to keep and a time to toss out.

7 A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be silent and a time to speak up.

8 A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do people gain from all the work they do?

10 I’ve seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied.

11 God makes everything happen at the appropriate time.

Also, he puts the awareness of eternity into the human mind,

yet humanity can’t grasp what God has done from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there’s nothing better for them

than being cheerful and doing good during their lives

13 and everyone should eat and drink and see good in everything they do—

that’s a gift from God.

14 I know that everything God does will be enduring.

There’s nothing that needs to be added to it, or taken away,

and God has done it like that so that people will respect and want to obey him.

15 Whatever there is, it already was,

and whatever is to be, it already is,

and God will watch whatever’s being worked on.

16 Then again I saw in this world at the place of judgement, there was wickedness,

and at the place of righteousness, there was wickedness.

17 I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked,

because there’s a time for every matter, and for every action to be judged.”

18 I said to myself, “God tests humanity

so they can see that they themselves are like animals

19 because the same one thing happens to both people and animals:

just like one dies, so does the other—they both have the same breath.

But people have no advantage over animals—everything is pointless.

20 Both go to the same place—

both came from the dust and both return to the dust.

21 Who can know that a person’s spirit is the one going up—upwards,

and the animal’s spirit is the one going down—downwards to the earth?

22 Then I saw that there is nothing better than that people would enjoy their work,

because that’s their assignment.

Yes, who can see what will happen to them after they die?

4 Then I turned and I saw all the oppression around world,

and, look, see the tears of the oppressed

but there was no one to comfort them.

The oppressors exerted their power against them,

but there was no one to comfort the oppressed.

2 So I praised those who were dead—who’ve already died,

more than the living—those who’re still alive.

3 But better than both of them, is the one who hasn’t yet lived—

who hasn’t seen the evil things that are being done in this world.

4 Then I noticed all the skills used and the work that gets done,

but also saw that it raised the envy of others.

That is also pointless and chasing after the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands together instead of working

and ends up ruining himself.

6 A small handful of quietness is better

than two very full handfuls of work and chasing after the wind.

7 Then I turned and I saw a pointless thing in this world:

8 Sometimes there’s a person living alone without a child or a relative, who works hard without stopping.

However, wealth doesn’t satisfy them because they wonder why they’re working so hard and not sitting down to enjoy their good things?

That also is pointless, and it’s an unpleasant business.

9 Two people are better than one.

because their working together can give a better result.

10 Yes, if they fall, one person can help his companion up,

but it wouldn’t end so well if one person falls alone

and there’s no second person to help them.

11 Similarly, if two people lie down together, they can help each other stay warm,

but how can one person stay warm by themself?

12 And even if one person would be easily overpowered,

two people could stand against an attacker.

A three-stranded rope can’t be easily broken.

13 A poor but wise youth is better off

than an old but foolish king who can’t accept advice,

14 because coming from a family who’d spent time in prison, he made it to become king—yet even in his kingdom he was born poor.

15 I saw all those walking around in this world with the next child who will rule after him—

16 there was no end to all the people who’ve ruled before them.

Even the ones who follow him won’t speak kindly about him,

because even that is pointless and chasing after the wind.

5 Watch your step when you go to God’s house.

Going in to listen is better than fools who offer sacrifices,

because they don’t realise that what they’re doing there is evil.

2 Don’t speak out too quickly,

and don’t let your emotions rush to make you request something from God,

because God is in the heavens,

but you’re on the earth, so let your words be few.

3 A dream can lead to a lot of panic,

and a fool’s voice brings many words.

4 When you promise something to God,

don’t put off doing what you promised

because no one likes fools.

Whatever you promise, do it![ref]

5 It’s better not to make a promise

than to promise something and then not do it.

6 Don’t allow your mouth to cause your whole body to sin,

and don’t tell the temple messenger that it was an unintentional sin.

Why make God angry by what you say

and destroy the good things that you’ve done?

7 Yes, there’s many dreams and pointless things and many words—

just respect and strive to obey God.

8 If you see the extortion of the poor

and the perversion of justice and righteousness in the provinces,

don’t be amazed about it because a high official is watching over another official,

and higher ones are watching over them.

9 Land is an advantage for everyone—the king gets served from the countryside.

10 A person who loves money won’t be satisfied with it,

and whoever loves wealth won’t be satisfied with their income.

That’s also pointless.

11 When material goods increase, people’s consumption increases,

and what advantage does the owner get other than just feeding his eyes?

12 The labourer has a pleasant sleep, whether they’ve had a lot to eat or just a little,

^but the many investments of the rich person don’t permit them to sleep.

13 There’s a sad contradiction that I’ve seen in this world:

wealth hoarded up by its owner, but working to destroy him.

14 Then that wealth was lost in a failed investment

and although he had a son, he had nothing left to live on.

15 He was naked when he was born and he’ll be naked when he goes again,

and despite all his hard work, he won’t be able to take any money with him.[ref]

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2 It’s better to go to a house where there’s mourning than to a house where there’s a party, because death is the end of each person, and those still alive should consider this in their hearts.

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