Ecclesiastes 5

Chapter 5

Approaching God with Care

1 tAs you enter the house of God, keep your ears open and your mouth shut. It is evil to make mindless offerings to God.

2 tDon’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few.

3 Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.
4 When you make a promise to God, don’t delay in following through, for God takes no pleasure in fools. Keep all the promises you make to him.5 It is better to say nothing than to make a promise and not keep it.

6 Don’t let your mouth make you sin. And don’t defend yourself by telling the Temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake. That would make God angry, and he might wipe out everything you have achieved.

7 Talk is cheap, like daydreams and other useless activities. Fear God instead.

The Futility of Wealth

8 Don’t be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if justice is being miscarried throughout the land. For every official is under orders from higher up, and matters of justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy.

9 Even the king milks the land for his own profit!t
10 Those who love money will never have enough. How meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness!

11 The more you have, the more people come to help you spend it. So what good is wealth—except perhaps to watch it slip through your fingers!

12 People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.
13 There is another serious problem I have seen under the sun. Hoarding riches harms the saver.14 Money is put into risky investments that turn sour, and everything is lost. In the end, there is nothing left to pass on to one’s children.

15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
16 And this, too, is a very serious problem. People leave this world no better off than when they came. All their hard work is for nothing—like working for the wind.

17 Throughout their lives, they live under a cloud—frustrated, discouraged, and angry.
18 Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life.19 And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God.

20 God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.

Ecclesiastes 6

Chapter 6

1 There is another serious tragedy I have seen under the sun, and it weighs heavily on humanity.

2 God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then he doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.
3 A man might have a hundred children and live to be very old. But if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn’t even get a decent burial, it would have been better for him to be born dead.4 His birth would have been meaningless, and he would have ended in darkness. He wouldn’t even have had a name,5 and he would never have seen the sun or known of its existence. Yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man.

6 He might live a thousand years twice over but still not find contentment. And since he must die like everyone else—well, what’s the use?
7 All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough.

8 So are wise people really better off than fools? Do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others?

9 Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don’t have. Just dreaming about nice things is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

The Future—Determined and Unknown

10 Everything has already been decided. It was known long ago what each person would be. So there’s no use arguing with God about your destiny.

11 The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?

12 In the few days of our meaningless lives, who knows how our days can best be spent? Our lives are like a shadow. Who can tell what will happen on this earth after we are gone?

Ecclesiastes 7

Chapter 7

Wisdom for Life

1 A good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume.
And the day you die is better than the day you are born.2 Better to spend your time at funerals than at parties.
After all, everyone dies—
so the living should take this to heart.3 Sorrow is better than laughter,
for sadness has a refining influence on us.4 A wise person thinks a lot about death,
while a fool thinks only about having a good time.5 Better to be criticized by a wise person
than to be praised by a fool.6 A fool’s laughter is quickly gone,
like thorns crackling in a fire.
This also is meaningless.7 Extortion turns wise people into fools,
and bribes corrupt the heart.8 Finishing is better than starting.
Patience is better than pride.9 Control your temper,
for anger labels you a fool.10 Don’t long for “the good old days.”
This is not wise.11 Wisdom is even better when you have money.
Both are a benefit as you go through life.12 Wisdom and money can get you almost anything,
but only wisdom can save your life.13 Accept the way God does things,
for who can straighten what he has made crooked?14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

15 I have seen everything in this meaningless life, including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people.16 So don’t be too good or too wise! Why destroy yourself?17 On the other hand, don’t be too wicked either. Don’t be a fool! Why die before your time?

18 Pay attention to these instructions, for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes.t

19 One wise person is stronger than ten leading citizens of a town!

20 Not a single person on earth is always good and never sins.
21 Don’t eavesdrop on others—you may hear your servant curse you.

22 For you know how often you yourself have cursed others.
23 I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions. I said to myself, “I am determined to be wise.” But it didn’t work.24 Wisdom is always distant and difficult to find.

25 I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness.

26 I discovered that a seductive womant is a trap more bitter than death. Her passion is a snare, and her soft hands are chains. Those who are pleasing to God will escape her, but sinners will be caught in her snare.
27 “This is my conclusion,” says the Teacher. “I discovered this after looking at the matter from every possible angle.28 Though I have searched repeatedly, I have not found what I was looking for. Only one out of a thousand men is virtuous, but not one woman!

29 But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”