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Everything Is Meaningless

These are the words of the Teacher. He was the son of David. He was also the king in Jerusalem.

“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Everything is completely meaningless!
    Nothing has any meaning.”

What do people get for all their work?
    Why do they work so hard on this earth?
People come and people go.
    But the earth remains forever.
The sun rises. Then it sets.
    And then it hurries back to where it rises.
The wind blows to the south.
    Then it turns to the north.
Around and around it goes.
    It always returns to where it started.
Every stream flows into the ocean.
    But the ocean never gets full.
The streams return
    to the place they came from.
All things are tiresome.
    They are more tiresome than anyone can say.
But our eyes never see enough of anything.
    Our ears never hear enough.
Everything that has ever been will come back again.
    Everything that has ever been done will be done again.
    Nothing is new on earth.
10 There isn’t anything about which someone can say,
    “Look! Here’s something new.”
It was already here long ago.
    It was here before we were.
11 No one remembers the people of long ago.
    Even those who haven’t been born yet
won’t be remembered
    by those who will be born after them.

Wisdom Is Meaningless

12 I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 I decided to study things carefully. I used my wisdom to check everything out. I looked into everything that is done on earth. What a heavy load God has put on human beings! 14 I’ve seen what is done on this earth. All of it is meaningless. It’s like chasing the wind.

15 People can’t straighten things that are crooked.
    They can’t count things that don’t even exist.

16 I said to myself, “Look, I’ve now grown wiser than anyone who ruled over Jerusalem in the past. I have a lot of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. And I wanted to know what foolish pleasure is all about. But I found out that it’s also like chasing the wind.

18 A lot of human wisdom leads to a lot of sorrow.
    More knowledge only brings more sadness.

Pleasure Is Meaningless

I said to myself, “Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless. “Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “And what can pleasure do for me?” I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in a foolish way. But wisdom was still guiding my mind. I wanted to see what was good for people to do on earth during their short lives.

So I started some large projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made lakes to water groves of healthy trees. I bought male and female slaves. And I had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem ever had before. I stored up silver and gold for myself. I gathered up the treasures of kings and their kingdoms. I got some male and female singers. I also got many women for myself. Women delight the hearts of men. I became far more important than anyone in Jerusalem had ever been before. And in spite of everything, I didn’t lose my wisdom.

10 I gave myself everything my eyes wanted.
    There wasn’t any pleasure that I refused to give myself.
I took delight in everything I did.
    And that was what I got for all my work.
11 But then I looked over everything my hands had done.
    I saw what I had worked so hard to get.
And nothing had any meaning.
    It was like chasing the wind.
    Nothing was gained on this earth.

Wisdom and Foolish Pleasure Are Meaningless

12 I decided to think about wisdom.
    I also thought about foolish pleasure.
What more can a new king do?
    Can he do anything more than others have already done?
13 I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness,
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The eyes of a wise person see things clearly.
    A person who is foolish lives in darkness.
But I finally realized that death catches up
    with both of them.

15 Then I said to myself,

“What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too.
    So what do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
    “That doesn’t have any meaning either.”
16 Like a foolish person, a wise person won’t be remembered very long.
    The days have already come when both of them have been forgotten.
Like a person who is foolish,
    a wise person must die too!

Work Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life. That’s because the work done on this earth made me sad. None of it has any meaning. It’s like chasing the wind. 18 I hated everything I had worked for on earth. I’ll have to leave all of it to someone who lives after me. 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Either way, they’ll take over everything on earth I’ve worked so hard for. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 20 So I began to lose hope because of all my hard work on this earth. 21 A person might use wisdom, knowledge and skill to do their work. But then they have to leave everything they own to someone who hasn’t worked for it. That doesn’t have any meaning either. In fact, it isn’t fair. 22 What do people get for all their hard work on earth? What do they get for all their worries? 23 As long as they live, their work is nothing but pain and sorrow. Even at night their minds can’t rest. That doesn’t have any meaning either.

24 A person can’t do anything better than eat, drink and be satisfied with their work. I’m finally seeing that those things also come from the hand of God. 25 Without his help, who can eat or find pleasure? 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to the person who pleases him. But to a sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth. Then the sinner must hand it over to the one who pleases God. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

There Is a Time for Everything

There is a time for everything.
    There’s a time for everything that is done on earth.

There is a time to be born.
    And there’s a time to die.
There is a time to plant.
    And there’s a time to pull up what is planted.
There is a time to kill.
    And there’s a time to heal.
There is a time to tear down.
    And there’s a time to build up.
There is a time to weep.
    And there’s a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad.
    And there’s a time to dance.
There is a time to scatter stones.
    And there’s a time to gather them.
There is a time to embrace someone.
    And there’s a time not to embrace.
There is a time to search.
    And there’s a time to stop searching.
There is a time to keep.
    And there’s a time to throw away.
There is a time to tear.
    And there’s a time to mend.
There is a time to be silent.
    And there’s a time to speak.
There is a time to love.
    And there’s a time to hate.
There is a time for war.
    And there’s a time for peace.

What do workers get for their hard work? 10 I’ve seen the heavy load God has put on human beings. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also given people a sense of who he is. But they can’t completely understand what God has done from beginning to end. 12 People should be happy and do good while they live. I know there’s nothing better for them to do than that. 13 Each of them should eat and drink. People should be satisfied with all their hard work. That is God’s gift to them. 14 I know that everything God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it. And nothing can be taken from it. God does that so people will have respect for him.

15 Everything that now exists has already been.
    And what is coming has existed before.
    God will judge those who treat others badly.

16 Here’s something else I saw on earth.

Where people should be treated right,
    they are treated wrong.
Where people should be treated fairly,
    they are treated unfairly.

17 I said to myself,

“God will judge
    godly and sinful people alike.
He has a time for every act.
    He has a time to judge everything that is done.”

18 I also said to myself, “God tests human beings. He does this so they can see that in certain ways they are like animals. 19 Surely what happens to animals happens to people too. Death waits for people and animals alike. People die, just as animals do. All of them have the same breath. People don’t have any advantage over animals. Nothing has any meaning. 20 People and animals go to the same place. All of them come from dust. And all of them return to dust. 21 Who can know whether the spirit of a person goes up? Who can tell whether the spirit of an animal goes down into the earth?”

22 So a person should enjoy their work. That’s what God made them for. I saw that there’s nothing better for them to do than that. After all, who can show them what will happen after they are gone?

Suffering, Hard Work and No Friends

I looked and saw how much people were suffering on this earth.

I saw the tears of those who are suffering.
    They don’t have anyone to comfort them.
Power is on the side of those who treat them badly.
    Those who are suffering don’t have anyone to comfort them.
Then I announced that those
    who have already died
are happier than those
    who are still alive.
But someone who hasn’t been born yet
    is better off than the dead or the living.
That’s because that person hasn’t seen the evil things
    that are done on earth.

I also saw that a person works hard and accomplishes a lot. But they do it only because they want what another person has. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Foolish people fold their hands and don’t work.
    And that destroys them.
One handful with peace and quiet
    is better than two handfuls with hard work.
    Working too hard is like chasing the wind.

Again I saw something on earth that didn’t mean anything.

A man lived all by himself.
    He didn’t have any sons or brothers.
His hard work never ended.
    But he wasn’t happy with what he had.
“Who am I working so hard for?” he asked.
    “Why don’t I get the things I enjoy?”
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
    In fact, it’s a very bad deal!

Two people are better than one.
    They can help each other in everything they do.
10 Suppose either of them falls down.
    Then the one can help the other one up.
But suppose a person falls down and doesn’t have anyone to help them up.
    Then feel sorry for that person!
11 Or suppose two people lie down together.
    Then they’ll keep warm.
    But how can one person keep warm alone?
12 One person could be overpowered.
    But two people can stand up for themselves.
    And a rope made out of three cords isn’t easily broken.

Getting Ahead Is Meaningless

13 A poor but wise young man is better off than an old but foolish king. That king doesn’t pay attention to a warning anymore. 14 The young man might have come from prison to become king. Or he might have been born poor within the kingdom but still became king. 15 I saw that everyone was following the young man who had become the new king. 16 At first, all the people served him when he became king. But those who came later weren’t pleased with the way he was ruling. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Keep Your Promise to God

Be careful what you say when you go to God’s house. Go there to listen. Don’t be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don’t even know it.

Don’t be too quick to speak.
    Don’t be in a hurry to say anything to God.
God is in heaven. You are on earth.
    So use only a few words when you speak.
Many worries result in dreams.
    Many words result in foolish talk.

When you make a promise to God, don’t wait too long to carry it out. He isn’t pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised. It is not good to make a promise and not keep it. It is better to make no promise at all. Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin. Don’t say to the temple messenger, “My promise was a mistake.” Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done? Dreaming too much and talking too much are meaningless. So have respect for God.

Riches Are Meaningless

Suppose you see poor people being mistreated somewhere. And what is being done to them isn’t right or fair. Don’t be surprised by that. One official is watched by a higher one. Officials who are even higher are watching both of them. All of them take what the land produces. And the king himself takes his share from the fields.

10 Anyone who loves money never has enough.
    Anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with what they get.
    That doesn’t have any meaning either.

11 As more and more goods are made,
    more and more people use them up.
So how can those goods benefit their owners?
    All they can do is look at them with desire.

12 The sleep of a worker is sweet.
    It doesn’t matter whether they eat a little or a lot.
But the wealth of rich people
    keeps them awake at night.

13 I’ve seen something very evil on earth.

It’s when wealth is stored up
    and then brings harm to its owners.
14 It’s also when wealth is lost
    because of an unwise business deal.
Then there won’t be anything left
    for the owners’ children.
15 Everyone is born naked.
    They come into the world with nothing.
    And they go out of it with nothing.
They don’t get anything from their work
    that they can take with them.

16 Here’s something else that is very evil.

Everyone is born, and everyone dies.
    And what do they get for their work?
    Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.
17 All their lives they eat in darkness.
    Their lives are full of trouble, suffering and anger.

18 I have seen what is good. It is good for a person to eat and drink. It’s good for them to be satisfied with their hard work on this earth. That’s what they should do during the short life God has given them. That’s what God made them for. 19 Sometimes God gives a person wealth and possessions. God makes it possible for that person to enjoy them. God helps them accept the life he has given them. God helps them to be happy in their work. All these things are gifts from God. 20 A person like that doesn’t have to think about how their life is going. That’s because God fills their heart with joy.

I’ve seen another evil thing on this earth. And it’s a heavy load on human beings. God gives some people wealth, possessions and honor. They have everything their hearts desire. But God doesn’t let them enjoy those things. Instead, strangers enjoy them. This doesn’t have any meaning. It’s a very evil thing.

A man might have a hundred children. He might live a long time. But suppose he can’t enjoy his wealth. And suppose he isn’t buried in the proper way. Then it doesn’t matter how long he lives. I’m telling you that a baby that is born dead is better off than that man is. That kind of birth doesn’t have any meaning. The baby dies in darkness and leaves this world. And in darkness it is forgotten. It didn’t even see the sun. It didn’t know anything at all. But it has more rest than that man does. And that’s true even if he lives for 2,000 years but doesn’t get to enjoy his wealth. All people die and go to the grave, don’t they?

People eat up everything they work to get.
    But they are never satisfied.
What advantage do wise people have
    over those who are foolish?
What do poor people gain
    by knowing how to act toward others?
Being satisfied with what you have
    is better than always wanting more.
That doesn’t have any meaning either.
    It’s like chasing the wind.

10 God has already planned what now exists.
    He has already decided what a human being is.
No one can argue with someone
    who is stronger.
11 The more words people use,
    the less meaning there is.
    And that doesn’t help anyone.

12 Who knows what’s good for a person? They live for only a few meaningless days. They pass through life like a shadow. Who can tell them what will happen on earth after they are gone?

Good Advice About How to Live

A good name is better than fine perfume.
    People can learn more from mourning when someone dies
    than from being happy when someone is born.
So it’s better to go where people are mourning
    than to go where people are having a good time.
Everyone will die someday.
    Those who are still living
    should really think about that.
Not being able to figure things out is better than laughter.
    That’s because sorrow is good for the heart.
Those who are wise are found where there is sorrow.
    But foolish people are found where there is pleasure.
Pay attention to a wise person’s warning.
    That’s better than listening to the songs of those who are foolish.
A foolish person’s laughter
    is like the crackling of thorns burning under a pot.
    That doesn’t have any meaning either.

When a wise person takes wealth by force, they become foolish.
    It is sinful to take money from people who want special favors.

The end of a matter is better than its beginning.
    So it’s better to be patient than proud.
Don’t become angry quickly.
    Anger lives in the hearts of foolish people.

10 Don’t say, “Why were things better in the good old days?”
    It isn’t wise to ask that kind of question.

11 Wisdom is a good thing.
    It’s like getting a share of the family wealth.
    It benefits those who live on this earth.
12 Wisdom provides safety,
    just as money provides safety.
But here’s the advantage of wisdom.
    It guards those who have it.

13 Think about what God has done.

Who can make straight
    what he has made crooked?
14 When times are good, be happy.
    But when times are bad, here’s something to think about.
God has made bad times.
    He has also made good times.
So no one can find out anything
    about what’s ahead for them.

15 In my meaningless life here’s what I’ve seen.

I’ve seen godly people dying
    even though they are godly.
And I’ve seen sinful people living a long time
    even though they are sinful.
16 Don’t claim to be better than you are.
    And don’t claim to be wiser than you are.
    Why destroy yourself?
17 Don’t be too sinful.
    And don’t be foolish.
    Why die before your time comes?
18 It’s good to hold on to both of those things.
    Don’t let go of either one.
Whoever has respect for God will avoid
    going too far in either direction.

19 Wisdom makes one wise person more powerful
    than ten rulers in a city.

20 It is true that there isn’t anyone on earth
    who does only what is right and never sins.

21 Don’t pay attention to everything people say.
    If you do, you might hear your servant cursing you.
22 Many times you yourself have cursed others.
    Deep down inside, you know that’s true.

23 I used wisdom to test all these things. I said,

“I’ve made up my mind to be wise.”
    But it was more than I could accomplish.
24 Whatever exists is far away and very deep.
    Who can find it?
25 So I tried to understand wisdom more completely.
    I wanted to study it and figure it out.
    I tried to find out everything I could about it.
I tried to understand why it’s foolish to be evil.
    I wanted to see why choosing foolishness is so unwise.

26 A woman who hunts a man down
    is more painful than death.
Her heart is like a trap.
    Her hands are like chains.
A man who pleases God will try to get away from her.
    But she will trap a sinner.

27 “Look,” says the Teacher. “Here’s what I’ve discovered.

“I added one thing to another to find out
    everything I could about wisdom.
28 I searched and searched
    but found very little.
I did find one honest man among a thousand.
    But I didn’t find one honest woman among a thousand.
29 Here’s the only other thing I found.
    God created human beings as honest.
    But they’ve made many evil plans.”

Who is like a wise person?
    Who knows how to explain things?
A person’s wisdom makes their face bright.
    It softens the look on their face.

Obey the King

I’m telling you to obey the king’s command. You promised to serve him. You made a promise to God. Don’t be in a hurry to quit your job in the palace. Don’t stand up for something the king doesn’t like. He’ll do anything he wants to. The king has the final word. So who can ask him, “What are you doing?”

No one who obeys his command will be harmed.
    Those who are wise will know the proper time and way to approach him.
There’s a proper time and way for people to do everything.
    That’s true even though a person might be suffering greatly.

No one knows what lies ahead.
    So who can tell someone else what’s going to happen?
No one can stop the wind from blowing.
    And no one has the power to decide when they will die.
No one is let out of the army in times of war.
    And evil won’t let go of those who practice it.

I understood all these things. I used my mind to study everything that’s done on earth. A man sometimes makes life hard for others. But he ends up hurting himself. 10 I also saw sinful people being buried. They used to come and go from the place of worship. And others praised them in the city where they worshiped. That doesn’t have any meaning either.

11 Sometimes the sentence for a crime isn’t carried out quickly. So people make plans to commit even more crimes. 12 An evil person may be guilty of a hundred crimes. Yet they may still live a long time. But I know that things will go better with those who have great respect for God. 13 Sinful people don’t respect God. So things won’t go well with them. Like a shadow, they won’t be around very long.

14 Here’s something else on this earth that doesn’t have any meaning. Sometimes godly people get what sinful people should receive. And sinful people get what godly people should receive. Here’s what I’m telling you. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 15 So I advise everyone to enjoy life. A person on this earth can’t do anything better than eat and drink and be glad. Then they will enjoy their work. They’ll be happy all the days of the life God has given them on earth.

16 I used my mind to understand what it really means to be wise. I wanted to observe the hard work people do on earth. They don’t close their eyes and go to sleep day or night. 17 I saw everything God has done. No one can understand what happens on earth. People might try very hard to figure it out. But they still can’t discover what it all means. Wise people might claim they know. But they can’t really understand it either.

Everyone Dies

I thought about all these things. I realized that those who are wise and do what is right are under God’s control. What they do is also under his control. But no one knows whether they will be loved or hated. Everyone will die someday. Death comes to godly and sinful people alike. It comes to good and bad people alike. It comes to “clean” and “unclean” people alike. Those who offer sacrifices and those who don’t offer them also die.

A good person dies,
    and so does a sinner.
Those who make promises die.
    So do those who are afraid to make them.

Here’s what is so bad about everything that happens on this earth. Death catches up with all of us. Also, the hearts of people are full of evil. They live in foolish pleasure. After that, they join those who have already died. Anyone who is still living has hope. Even a live dog is better off than a dead lion!

People who are still alive know they’ll die.
    But those who have died don’t know anything.
They don’t receive any more rewards.
    And even their name is forgotten.
Their love, hate and jealousy disappear.
    They will never share again
    in anything that happens on earth.

Go and enjoy your food. Be joyful as you drink your wine. God has already approved what you do. Always wear white clothes to show you are happy. Anoint your head with olive oil. You love your wife. So enjoy life with her. Do it all the days of this meaningless life God has given you on earth. That’s what he made you for. That’s what you get for all your hard work on earth. 10 No matter what you do, work at it with all your might. Remember, you are going to the place of the dead. And there isn’t any work or planning or knowledge or wisdom there.

11 Here’s something else I’ve seen on this earth.

Races aren’t always won by those who run fast.
    Battles aren’t always won by those who are strong.
Wise people don’t always have plenty of food.
    Clever people aren’t always wealthy.
    Those who have learned a lot aren’t always successful.
God controls the timing of every event.
    He also controls how things turn out.

12 No one knows when trouble will come to them.

Fish are caught in nets.
    Birds are taken in traps.
And people are trapped by hard times
    that come when they don’t expect them.

Being Wise Is Better Than Being Foolish

13 Here’s something else I saw on this earth. I saw an example of wisdom that touched me deeply. 14 There was once a small city. Only a few people lived there. A powerful king attacked it. He brought in war machines all around it. 15 A certain man lived in that city. He was poor but wise. He used his wisdom to save the city. But no one remembered that poor man. 16 So I said, “It’s better to be wise than to be powerful.” But people look down on the poor man’s wisdom. No one pays any attention to what he says.

17 People should listen to the quiet words
    of those who are wise.
That’s better than paying attention to the shouts
    of a ruler of foolish people.
18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war.
    But one sinner destroys a lot of good.

10 Dead flies give perfume a bad smell.
    And a little foolishness can make a lot of wisdom useless.
The hearts of wise people lead them on the right path.
    But the hearts of foolish people take them down the wrong path.
Foolish people don’t have any sense at all.
    They show everyone they are foolish.
    They do it even when they are walking along the road.
Suppose a ruler gets very angry with you.
    If he does, don’t quit your job in the palace.
    Being calm can overcome what you have done against him.

Here’s something evil I’ve seen on this earth.
    And it’s the kind of mistake that rulers make.
Foolish people are given many important jobs.
    Rich people are given unimportant ones.
I’ve seen slaves on horseback.
    I’ve also seen princes who were forced to walk as if they were slaves.

Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
    Anyone who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
Anyone who removes stones from rock pits might get hurt.
    Anyone who cuts logs might get wounded.

10 Suppose the blade of an ax is dull.
    And its edge hasn’t been sharpened.
Then more effort is needed to use it.
    But skill will bring success.

11 Suppose a snake bites before it is charmed.
    Then the snake charmer receives no payment.

12 Wise people say gracious things.
    But foolish people are destroyed by what their own lips speak.
13 At first what they say is foolish.
    In the end their words are very evil.
14     They talk too much.

No one knows what lies ahead.
    Who can tell someone else what will happen after they are gone?

15 The work foolish people do makes them tired.
    They don’t even know the way to town.

16 How terrible it is for a land whose king used to be a servant!
    How terrible if its princes get drunk in the morning!
17 How blessed is the land whose king was born into the royal family!
    How blessed if its princes eat and drink at the proper time!
    How blessed if they eat and drink to become strong and not to get drunk!

18 When a person won’t work, the roof falls down.
    Because of hands that aren’t busy, the house leaks.

19 People laugh at a dinner party.
    And wine makes life happy.
    People think money can buy everything.

20 Don’t say bad things about the king.
    Don’t even think about those things.
Don’t curse rich people.
    Don’t even curse them in your bedroom.
A bird might fly away and carry your words.
    It might report what you said.

Do Many Things to Succeed

11 Sell your grain in the market overseas.
    After a while you might earn something from it.
Try to succeed by doing many things.
    After all, you don’t know what great trouble might come on the land.

Clouds that are full of water
    pour rain down on the earth.
A tree might fall to the south or the north.
    It will stay in the place where it falls.
Anyone who keeps on watching the wind won’t plant seeds.
    Anyone who keeps looking at the clouds won’t gather crops.

You don’t know the path the wind takes.
    You don’t know how a baby is made inside its mother.
So you can’t understand how God works either.
    He made everything.

In the morning plant your seeds.
    In the evening keep your hands busy.
You don’t know what will succeed.
    It may be one or the other.
    Or both might do equally well.

Remember Your Creator While You Are Young

Light is sweet.
    People enjoy being out in the sun.
No matter how many years anyone might live,
    let them enjoy all of them.
But let them remember the dark days.
    There will be many of those.
    Nothing that’s going to happen will have any meaning.

You young people, be happy while you are still young.
    Let your heart be joyful while you are still strong.
Do what your heart tells you to do.
    Go after what your eyes look at.
But I want you to know
    that God will judge you for everything you do.
10 So drive worry out of your heart.
    Get rid of all your troubles.
    Being young and strong doesn’t have any meaning.

12 Remember your Creator.
    Remember him while you are still young.
Think about him before your times of trouble come.
    The years will come when you will say,
    “I don’t find any pleasure in them.”
That’s when the sunlight will become dark.
    The moon and the stars will also grow dark.
    And the clouds will return after it rains.
Remember your Creator before those who guard the house tremble with old age.
    That’s when strong men will be bent over.
The women who grind grain will stop because there are so few of them left.
    Those who look through the windows won’t be able to see very well.
Remember your Creator before the front doors are closed.
    That’s when the sound of grinding will fade away.
Old people will rise up when they hear birds singing.
    But they will barely hear any of their songs.
Remember your Creator before you become afraid of places that are too high.
    You will also be terrified because of danger in the streets.
Remember your Creator before the almond trees have buds on them.
    That’s when grasshoppers will drag themselves along.
    Old people will lose their desire.
That’s when people will go to their dark homes in the grave.
    And those who mourn for the dead will walk around in the streets.

Remember your Creator before the silver cord is cut.
    Remember him before the golden bowl is broken.
The wheel will be broken at the well.
    The pitcher will be smashed at the spring.
Remember your Creator before you return to the dust you came from.
    Remember him before your spirit goes back to God who gave it.

“Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
    “Nothing has any meaning.”

Have Respect for God and Obey His Commandments

The Teacher was wise. He gave knowledge to people. He tried out many proverbs. He thought about them carefully. Then he wrote them down in order. 10 He did his best to find just the right words. And what he wrote was honest and true.

11 The sayings of those who are wise move people to take action. Their collected sayings are like nails pounded in firm and deep. These sayings are given to us by one shepherd. 12 My son, be careful not to pay attention to anything added to them.

Books will never stop being written. Too much studying makes people tired.

13 Everything has now been heard.
    And here’s the final thing I want to say.
Have respect for God and obey his commandments.
    This is what he expects of all human beings.
14 God will judge everything people do.
    That includes everything they try to hide.
    He’ll judge everything, whether it’s good or evil.

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