² “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
“Everything is completely meaningless!
    Nothing has any meaning.”

³ What do people get for all their work?
    Why do they work so hard on this earth?
⁴ People come and people go.
    But the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises. Then it sets.
    And then it hurries back to where it rises.
⁶ The wind blows to the south.
    Then it turns to the north.
Around and around it goes.
    It always returns to where it started.
⁷ Every stream flows into the ocean.
    But the ocean never gets full.
The streams return
    to the place they came from.
⁸ 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.
⁹ 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.

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

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

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.

“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!

² 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.
³ 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.
⁴ 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.
⁵ 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.
⁶ 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.
⁷ 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.
⁸ 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.

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

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

“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.”

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.
² Then I announced that those
    who have already died
are happier than those
    who are still alive.
³ 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.

⁵ Foolish people fold their hands and don’t work.
    And that destroys them.
⁶ One handful with peace and quiet
    is better than two handfuls with hard work.
    Working too hard is like chasing the wind.

⁸ 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!

⁹ 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.

² 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.
³ Many worries result in dreams.
    Many words result in foolish talk.

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.

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.

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.

⁷ People eat up everything they work to get.
    But they are never satisfied.
⁸ What advantage do wise people have
    over those who are foolish?
What do poor people gain
    by knowing how to act toward others?
⁹ 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.

⁷ When a wise person takes wealth by force, they become foolish.
    It is sinful to take money from people who want special favors.

⁸ The end of a matter is better than its beginning.
    So it’s better to be patient than proud.
⁹ 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.

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.

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.

“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.

“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.”

8 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.

⁵ No one who obeys his command will be harmed.
    Those who are wise will know the proper time and way to approach him.
⁶ There’s a proper time and way for people to do everything.
    That’s true even though a person might be suffering greatly.

⁷ No one knows what lies ahead.
    So who can tell someone else what’s going to happen?
⁸ 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.

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

⁵ 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.
⁶ Their love, hate and jealousy disappear.
    They will never share again
    in anything that happens on 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.

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.

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.
² The hearts of wise people lead them on the right path.
    But the hearts of foolish people take them down the wrong path.
³ 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.
⁴ 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.

⁵ Here’s something evil I’ve seen on this earth.
    And it’s the kind of mistake that rulers make.
⁶ Foolish people are given many important jobs.
    Rich people are given unimportant ones.
⁷ I’ve seen slaves on horseback.
    I’ve also seen princes who were forced to walk as if they were slaves.

⁸ Anyone who digs a pit might fall into it.
    Anyone who breaks through a wall might be bitten by a snake.
⁹ 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.

³ 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.
⁴ Anyone who keeps on watching the wind won’t plant seeds.
    Anyone who keeps looking at the clouds won’t gather crops.

⁵ 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.

⁶ 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.

⁹ 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.”
² 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.
³ 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.
⁴ 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.
⁵ 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.

⁶ 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.
⁷ Remember your Creator before you return to the dust you came from.
    Remember him before your spirit goes back to God who gave it.

⁸ “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!”
    says the Teacher.
    “Nothing has any meaning.”

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.