Old/New Testament
1 These are the words of the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; C of a group], a son of David, king in Jerusalem [C an allusion to Solomon].
2 The ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1] says,
“·Useless [Meaningless; or Absurd; or Enigmatic; or Transient; T Vanity; L Vapor; Bubble; C and so throughout this book]! Useless!
Completely useless!
Everything is useless.”
3 What do people really ·gain [profit]
from all the ·hard work [toil] they do ·here on earth [L under the sun]?
Things Never Change
4 ·People live [L A generation goes], and ·people die [L a generation comes],
but the earth ·continues [endures; remains] forever.
5 The sun rises, the sun sets,
and then it ·hurries back [L pants] to where it rises again [Ps. 19:5–6].
6 ·The wind [L It] blows to the south;
it ·blows [L goes around] to the north.
·It blows from one direction and then another [L The wind goes round and round].
·Then it turns around and repeats the same pattern, going nowhere [L The wind keeps blowing in circles].
7 All the rivers flow to the sea,
but the sea never becomes full.
The rivers return to the place from which they flow.
8 Everything is ·boring [wearisome],
·so boring that you don’t even want to talk about it [L beyond words].
·Words come again and again to our ears,
but we never hear enough [L The ear is never satisfied with hearing],
nor ·can we ever really see all we want to see [L the eye with seeing].
9 ·All things continue the way they have been since the beginning [L Whatever is will be again].
What has happened will happen again;
there is nothing new ·here on earth [L under the sun; v. 3].
10 ·Someone might say [L Here is a common expression],
“Look, this is new,”
but ·really it has always been here [it was already here long ago].
It ·was here before we were [existed before our time].
11 ·People don’t remember what happened long ago [L There is no remembrance of the past],
·and in the future people will not remember what happens now [L nor will there be any remembrance of what will be in the future].
·Even later, other people will not remember what was done before them [L There is no remembrance of them among those who will exist in the future].
Does Wisdom Bring Happiness?
12 I, the ·Teacher [or Preacher; L Assembler; 1:1], ·was [or have been] king over Israel in Jerusalem [1:1]. 13 I ·decided [devoted myself] to use my wisdom to ·learn [explore] about everything that happens ·on earth [L under heaven; v. 3]. I learned that God has given ·us terrible things to face [or the human race an evil/unhappy task to keep us occupied]. 14 I ·looked at [observed] everything done ·on earth [L under the sun; v. 3] and saw that it is all useless [v. 2], like chasing the wind.
15 If something is ·crooked [bent],
you can’t make it straight.
If something is missing,
you can’t ·say it is there [L count it; C something is wrong with the world and it cannot be fixed].
16 I ·said to myself [L spoke with/to my heart], “I have ·become very wise and am now wiser than [surpassed in wisdom] anyone who ruled Jerusalem before me. I ·know what wisdom and knowledge really are [L have observed much wisdom and knowledge].” 17 So I ·decided to find out about [L gave my heart to understand] wisdom and knowledge and also ·about foolish thinking [madness and folly], but this turned out to be like chasing the wind.
18 With much wisdom comes much ·disappointment [frustration];
the person who gains more knowledge also gains more ·sorrow [pain].
Does “Having Fun” Bring Happiness?
2 I said ·to myself [L in my heart], “·I will try having fun [L Come now, I will test you with pleasure]. I will ·enjoy myself [experience the good life; L see good].” ·But I found that [L Behold] this is also useless [1:2]. 2 I thought, “It is ·foolish [mad; crazy; insane] to laugh, and ·having fun [pleasure] ·doesn’t accomplish anything [L what can it do…?].” 3 I ·decided [L explored with my heart] to cheer ·myself up [L my body/flesh] with wine and embrace folly while my mind was ·still thinking wisely [guided by wisdom]. I wanted to see what was good for people to do ·on earth [L under heaven; 1:3] during their few days of life.
Does Hard Work Bring Happiness?
4 Then I did great things: I built houses and planted vineyards for myself [1 Kin. 7:1–12; 9:15; 2 Chr. 8:1–6]. 5 I made gardens and parks, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made pools of water for myself and used them to water my ·growing [flourishing forest of] trees. 7 I ·bought [acquired] male and female slaves, and slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds and flocks, more than anyone in Jerusalem had ever had before. 8 I also gathered silver and gold for myself, treasures ·from [or of] kings and ·other areas [provinces; 1 Kin. 10:14–25; 2 Chr. 9:27]. I had male and female singers and ·all the women a man could ever want [L many concubines—the pleasure of men]. 9 I ·became very famous, even greater than [surpassed] anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom ·helped me in all this [L stayed with me].
10 Anything ·I saw and wanted [L my eyes requested], I ·got for [L did not refuse] myself;
I did not ·miss [L deny my heart] any pleasure I desired.
·I [L My heart] was pleased with everything I did,
and this pleasure was the reward for all my ·hard work [toil].
11 But then I ·looked at [turned my attention to] what I had done,
and I thought about all the ·hard work [toil].
Suddenly I realized it was useless [1:2], like chasing the wind.
There is ·nothing to gain [no profit/advantage] from anything we do ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3].
Maybe Wisdom Is the Answer
12 Then I ·began to think again about being wise,
and also about being foolish and doing crazy things [L turned my attention to observe wisdom and mad folly].
After all, what more can anyone who comes after the king do?
He can’t do more than what the king has already done [C If the king couldn’t find meaning in life, then no one could].
13 I saw that ·being wise is certainly better than being foolish [L there was more profit in wisdom than folly],
just as light is ·better [more profitable] than darkness.
14 Wise people ·see where they are going [L have eyes in their head],
but fools walk around in the dark.
Yet I know that
both wise and foolish ·people end the same way [L have the same fate; C death].
15 I ·thought to myself [L said in my heart],
“·What happens to a fool will happen to me [L The fate of the fool is my fate], too,
so ·what is the reward for being [L why have I become so] wise?”
I said to myself,
“·Being wise [L This] is also useless [1:2].”
16 No one will remember the wise or the fool for long.
·In the future, [L The days will come only too soon when] both will be forgotten.
How will the wise person die?
Like the fool?
Is There Real Happiness in Life?
17 So I hated life. ·It made me sad to think that everything [L For evil is the work that is done] ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3] is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind. 18 I hated all the things I had ·worked [toiled] for ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3], because I must leave them to someone who will live after me. 19 Someone else will control everything for which I ·worked so hard [toiled so wisely] ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3], and ·I don’t know [L who knows…?] if he will be wise or foolish. This is also useless [1:2]. 20 So I ·became sad [despaired; L caused my heart to despair] about all the ·hard work [toil] I had done ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3]. 21 People can work hard using all their wisdom, knowledge, and ·skill [success], but they will ·die, and other people will get the things for which they worked [L leave their reward to others]. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. This is ·also unfair [a great evil] and useless [1:2]. 22 What do people get for all their ·work [toil] and ·struggling [anxiety] ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3]? 23 All of their ·lives [L days] their work is full of pain and ·sorrow [frustration], and even at night their ·minds [L hearts] don’t ·rest [L lie down]. This is also useless [1:2].
24 ·The best that people can do is [L There is nothing better for people than to] eat, drink, and enjoy their ·work [toil]. I saw that even this comes from God, 25 because ·no one [L who…?] can eat or ·enjoy life [or worry] without him. 26 If people please God, God will give them wisdom, knowledge, and ·joy [pleasure]. But ·sinners [or people who offend; C offend God] will get only the work of gathering wealth that they will have to give to the ones who please God. So all their work is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind [3:12–14, 22; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world].
There Is a Time for Everything
3 There is a ·time [season] for everything,
and ·everything [every activity] ·on earth [L under heaven] has its ·special season [time].
2 There is a time to be born
and a time to die.
There is a time to plant
and a time to ·pull up plants [uproot what has been planted].
3 There is a time to kill
and a time to heal.
There is a time to ·destroy [tear down]
and a time to build.
4 There is a time to cry
and a time to laugh.
There is a time to ·be sad [mourn]
and a time to dance.
5 There is a time to throw away stones
and a time to gather them.
There is a time to ·hug [embrace]
and a time ·not to hug [to refrain from embracing].
6 There is a time to ·look for something [seek]
and a time to ·stop looking for it [L give up as lost; or lose].
There is a time to keep things
and a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear apart
and a time to sew together.
There is a time to be silent
and a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love
and a time to hate.
There is a time for war
and a time for peace.
God Controls His World
9 ·Do [L What do] people really ·gain anything [profit] from their ·work [toil; 1:3]? 10 I saw the ·hard work [task] God has given people to ·do [keep them occupied; 1:13]. 11 God has ·given them a desire to know the future [L placed eternity/an awareness of time/or ignorance in their hearts]. He ·does everything just right and on time [L makes everything appropriate/beautiful in its time], but people can never ·completely understand what he is doing [L discover/find the work that God does from beginning to end; C humans cannot discern the “right time”]. 12 So I ·realize [know] that ·the best thing [L there is nothing better] for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. 13 God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their ·work [toil], which are gifts from God [2:24–26; 3:22; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world]. 14 I know that everything God does will continue forever. People cannot add anything to what God has done, and they cannot take anything away from it. God does it this way to make people ·respect [or be afraid of; 5:7; 7:18; 8:12, 13] him.
15 What happens now has happened in the past,
and what will happen in the future has happened before.
God makes the same things happen again and again.
Unfairness on Earth
16 I also saw this ·here on earth [L under the sun; 1:3]:
·Where there should have been justice [L The place of judgment], there was evil;
·where there should have been right [L the place of righteousness; C the courtroom], there was evil.
17 I said ·to myself [L in my heart],
·God has planned [L There is] a time for every ·thing [activity] and every action,
so he will judge both ·good people and bad [the righteous and the evil/wicked].
18 I ·decided [L said in my heart concerning the human race] that God ·leaves it the way it is to test people and [L tests them] to show them they are just like animals. 19 The ·same thing happens to animals and to people [L fate of people and the fate of animals are the same/one fate]; they both have the same breath, so they both die. People ·are no better off than [have no advantage over] the animals, because everything is useless [1:2]. 20 ·Both end up the same way [All go to the same place]; both came from dust and both will go back to dust. 21 Who ·can be sure [knows] that the human spirit goes up above and that the spirit of an animal goes down into the ground? 22 So I saw that ·the best thing people can do is [L there is nothing better for people than] to ·enjoy [rejoice in] their work, because that is ·all they have [L their reward; 2:24–26; 3:12–14; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; C the little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world]. ·No one can help another person [L Who can bring them to…?] see what will happen in the future.
Paul Tells About His Sufferings
16 I tell you again: No one should think I am a fool. But if you think so, accept me as you would accept a fool. Then I can ·brag [boast] a little, too. 17 ·When I brag because I feel sure of myself [By boasting so confidently], I am not talking ·as the Lord would talk [or with the Lord’s authority; L according to the Lord] but as a fool. 18 Many people are ·bragging [boasting] ·about their lives in the world [or as the world does; or by human standards; L according to the flesh]. So I will ·brag [boast] too. 19 You are wise, so you will gladly be patient with fools! [C Paul sarcastically suggests that the “wise” Corinthians, who listened to the false apostles, would surely listen to his “foolishness.”] 20 You ·are even patient [bear; put up] with those who ·order you around [L enslave you], or ·use you [exploit you; L devour (your possessions)], or ·trick [take advantage of] you, or ·think they are better than you [act arrogantly; put on airs], or ·hit [slap] you in the face. 21 It is shameful to me to say this, but we were too “weak” to do those things to you!
But if anyone else ·is brave enough [dares] to ·brag [boast], then I also will ·be brave and brag [dare to boast]. (I am talking as a fool.) 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they from Abraham’s ·family [descendants; L seed]? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? I am serving him more. (I am crazy to talk like this.) I have worked much harder than they. I have been in prison more often [Acts 16:23–40]. I have been ·hurt more in beatings [flogged more severely; Acts 16:22]. I have been near death many times. 24 Five times the Jews have given me ·their punishment of thirty-nine lashes with a whip [L forty minus one; C a shorthand phrase for the standard Jewish punishment; Deut. 25:1–3 allowed a maximum of forty lashes; the Jews gave thirty-nine to avoid breaking the law]. 25 Three different times I was beaten with rods [C a Roman punishment]. One time I was almost stoned to death [Acts 14:19]. Three times I was in ships that wrecked, and one of those times I spent a night and a day in the sea [C Paul’s shipwreck in Acts 27 occurred after writing this (c. ad 60), so he experienced at least four shipwrecks]. 26 I have gone on many travels and have been in danger from rivers, from ·thieves [bandits], from my own people [C the Jews], and from the Gentiles. I have been in danger in cities, in ·places where no one lives [the desert/wilderness], and on the sea. And I have been in danger with false ·Christians [L brothers]. 27 I have done hard and tiring work, and many times I did not sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty, and many times I have been without food. I have been cold and ·without clothes [or destitute; L naked]. 28 Besides all this, there is on me every day the ·load [pressure] of my ·concern [anxiety] for all the churches. 29 I feel weak every time someone is weak [L Who is weak, and I am not weak?], and ·I feel upset every time someone is led into sin [L Who is led into sin, and I am not indignant/L burning (with anger)?].
30 If I must ·brag [boast], I will ·brag [boast] about the things that show I am weak. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is to be praised forever, knows I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the ·governor [L ethnarch; C a title for a minor ruler] under King Aretas wanted to arrest me, so he put guards around the city. 33 But ·my friends lowered me [L I was lowered] in a basket through ·a hole [or window] in the city wall. So I escaped from ·the governor [L his hands].
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