New English [1970], THE NEW ENGLISH BIBLE (OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS; CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, CAMBRIDGE) [word count] [B16000].
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ECCLESIASTES
The emptiness of all endeavour
1 The words of the speaker, note the son of David,
king in Jerusalem.
2 Emptiness, emptiness, says the Speaker, emptiness, all is
empty.
3 What does man gain from all his labour and his toil here under
the sun?
4 Generations come and generations go, while the earth endures
for ever.
5 The sun rises and the sun goes down; back it returns to its place note
and rises there again.
6 The wind blows south, the wind blows north,
round and round it goes and returns full circle.
7 All streams run into
the sea, yet the sea never overflows; back to the place from which the
streams ran they return to run again.
8 All things are wearisome; note no man can speak of them all. Is not the
eye surfeited with seeing, and the ear sated with hearing?
9 What has
happened will happen again, and what has been done will be done
again, and there is nothing new under the sun.
10 Is there anything of
which one can say, ‘Look, this is new’? No, it has already existed, long
ago before our time.
11 The men of old are not remembered, and those
who follow will not be remembered by those who follow them.
12
13 I, the Speaker, ruled as king over Israel in Jerusalem; and in wisdom
I applied my mind to study and explore all that is done under heaven.
It is a sorry business that God has given men to busy themselves with.
14 I have seen all the deeds that are done here under the sun; they are all
emptiness and chasing the wind.
15 What is crooked cannot become
straight; what is not there cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, ‘I have
amassed great wisdom, more than all my predecessors on the throne in
Jerusalem; I have become familiar with wisdom and knowledge.’
17 So I
applied my mind to understand wisdom and knowledge, madness and
folly, and I came to see that this too is chasing the wind.
18 For in much
wisdom is much vexation, and the more a man knows, the more he has
to suffer.
1 I said to myself, ‘Come, I will plunge into pleasures and enjoy
myself’; but this too was emptiness.
2 Of laughter I said, ‘It is madness!’
3 And of pleasure, ‘What is the good of that?’ So I sought to stimulate
-- --
The emptiness of all endeavour
myself with wine, in the hope of finding out what was good for men to
do under heaven throughout the brief span of their lives. But my mind
was guided by wisdom, not blinded by note folly.
4 I undertook great works; I built myself houses and planted vineyards;
5 I made myself gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit-trees
in them;
6 I made myself pools of water to irrigate a grove of
growing trees;
7 I bought slaves, male and female, and I had my home-born
slaves as well; I had possessions, more cattle and flocks than any
of my predecessors in Jerusalem;
8 I amassed silver and gold also, the
treasure of kings and provinces; I acquired singers, men and women,
and all that man delights in. note
9 I was great, greater than all my predecessors
in Jerusalem; and my wisdom stood me in good stead.
10 Whatever my
eyes coveted, I refused them nothing, nor did I deny myself any
pleasure. Yes indeed, I got pleasure from all my labour, and for all
my labour this was my reward.
11 Then I turned and reviewed all my
handiwork, all my labour and toil, and I saw that everything was
emptiness and chasing the wind, of no profit under the sun.
12
13 I set myself to look at wisdom and at madness and folly. noteThen
I perceived that wisdom is more profitable than folly, as light is more
profitable than darkness:
14 the wise man has eyes in his head, but the
fool walks in the dark. Yet I saw also that one and the same fate overtakes
them both.
15 So I said to myself, ‘I too shall suffer the fate of the
fool. To what purpose have I been wise? What note is the profit of it?
16 Even this’, I said to myself, ‘is emptiness. The wise man is remembered
no longer than the fool, for, as the passing days multiply, note all will be
forgotten.
17 Alas, wise man and fool die the same death!’ So I came to
hate life, since everything that was done here under the sun was a
trouble to me; for all is emptiness and chasing the wind.
18 So I came to
hate all my labour and toil here under the sun, since I should have to
leave its fruits to my successor. What sort of a man will he be who
succeeds me, who inherits what others have acquired? note
19 Who knows
whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master of all
the fruits of my labour and skill here under the sun. This too is
emptiness.
20 Then I turned and gave myself up to despair, reflecting upon all my
labour and toil here under the sun.
21 For anyone who toils with wisdom,
knowledge, and skill must leave it all to a man who has spent no
labour on it.
22 This too is emptiness and utterly wrong. What reward
has a man for all his labour, his scheming, and his toil here under the
-- --
The emptiness of all endeavour
sun?
23 All his life long his business is pain and vexation to him; even at
night his mind knows no rest.
24 This too is emptiness. There is nothing
better for a man to do than note to eat and drink and enjoy himself in return
for his labours. And yet I saw that this comes from the hand of God.
25
26 For without him who can enjoy his food, or who can be anxious? God
gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man who pleases him, while
to the sinner is given the trouble of gathering and amassing wealth
only to hand it over to someone else who pleases God. This too is
emptiness and chasing the wind.
1 For everything its season, and for every activity under
heaven its time:
2 a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to uproot;
3 a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to pull down and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time for mourning and a time for dancing;
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek and a time to lose;
a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7 a time to tear and a time to mend;
a time for silence and a time for speech;
8 a time to love and a time to hate;
a time for war and a time for peace.
9
10 What profit does one who works get from all his labour? I have seen
the business that God has given men to keep them busy.
11 He has made
everything to suit its time; moreover he has given men a sense of time
past and future, but no comprehension of God's work from beginning
to end.
12 I know that there is nothing good for man note except to be happy
and live the best life he can while he is alive.
13 Moreover, that a man
should eat and drink and enjoy himself, in return for all his labours, is
a gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does lasts for ever; to add to
it or subtract from it is impossible. And he has done it all in such a way
that men must feel awe in his presence.
15 Whatever is has been already, note
and whatever is to come has been already, and God summons each
event back in its turn.
16 Moreover I saw here under the sun that, where
justice ought to be, there was wickedness, and where righteousness
ought to be, there was wickedness.
17 I said to myself, ‘God will judge
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The emptiness of all endeavour
the just man and the wicked equally; every activity and note every purpose
has its proper time.’
18 I said to myself, ‘In dealing with men it is God's
purpose note to test them and to see what they truly are. note
19 For man is a
creature of chance and the beasts are creatures of chance, and one
mischance awaits them all: death comes to both alike. They all draw
the same breath. Men have no advantage over beasts; for everything is
emptiness.
20 All go to the same place: all came from the dust, and to the
dust all return.
21 Who knows whether the spirit note of man goes upward or
whether the spirit note of the beast goes downward to the earth?’
22 So I saw
that there is nothing better than that a man should enjoy his work,
since that is his lot. For who can bring him through to see what will
happen next?
1 Again, I considered all the acts of oppression here under the sun;
I saw the tears of the oppressed, and I saw that there was no one to
comfort them. Strength was on the side of their oppressors, and there
was no one to avenge them.
2 I counted the dead happy because they
were dead, happier than the living who are still in life.
3 More fortunate
than either I reckoned note the man yet unborn, who had not witnessed
the wicked deeds done here under the sun.
4 I considered all toil and all
achievement and saw that it comes from rivalry between man and man.
5 This too is emptiness and chasing the wind. The fool folds his arms
and wastes away.
6 Better one hand full and peace of mind, than both
fists full and toil that is chasing the wind.
7
8 Here again, I saw emptiness under the sun: a lonely man without a
friend, without son or brother, toiling endlessly yet never satisfied with
his wealth—‘For whom’, he asks, ‘am I toiling and denying myself the
good things of life?’
9 This too is emptiness, a sorry business. Two are
better than one;
10 they receive a good reward for their toil, because, if
one falls, the other note can help his companion up again; but alas for the
man who falls alone with no partner to help him up.
11 And, if two lie
side by side, they keep each other warm; but how can one keep warm
by himself?
12 If a man is alone, an assailant may overpower him, but two
can resist; and a cord of three strands is not quickly snapped.
13 Better a young man poor and wise than a king old and foolish who
will listen to advice no longer.
14 A man who leaves prison may well
come to be king, though born a pauper in his future kingdom.
15 But I have
studied all life here under the sun, and I saw his place taken by yet
another young man,
16 and no limit set to the number of the subjects
whose master he became. And he in turn will be no hero to those who
come after him. This too is emptiness and chasing the wind.
-- --
The emptiness of all endeavour
1 noteGo carefully when you visit the house of God. Better draw near in
obedience than offer the sacrifice of fools, who sin without a thought.
2 noteDo
not rush into speech, let there be no hasty utterance in God's presence.
3 God is in heaven, you are on earth; so let your words be few. The
sensible man has much business on his hands; the fool talks and it is
so much chatter.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not be slow to pay
it, for he has no use for fools; pay whatever you vow.
5 Better not vow at
all than vow and fail to pay.
6 Do not let your tongue lead you into sin,
and then say before the angel of God that it was a mistake; or God will
be angry at your words, and all your achievements will be brought to
nothing. note
7 You must fear God.
8 If you witness in some province the oppression of the poor and the
denial of right and justice, do not be surprised at what goes on, for
every official has a higher one set over him, and the highest note keeps
watch over them all.
9 The best thing for a country is a king whose note
own lands are well tilled.
10 The man who loves money can never have enough, and the man who
is in love with great wealth enjoys no return from it. This too is
emptiness.
11 When riches multiply, so do those who live off them; and
what advantage has the owner, except to look at them?
12 Sweet is the
sleep of the labourer whether he eats little or much; but the rich man
owns too much and cannot sleep.
13 There is a singular evil here under
the sun which I have seen:
14 a man hoards wealth to his own hurt, and
then that wealth is lost through an unlucky venture, and the owner's
son left with nothing.
15 As he came from the womb of mother earth,
so must he return, naked as he came; all his toil produces nothing which
he can take away with him.
16 This too is a singular evil: exactly as he
came, so shall he go, and what profit does he get when his labour is all
for the wind?
17 What is more, all his days are overshadowed; gnawing
anxiety note and great vexation are his lot, sickness note and resentment.
18 What I have seen is this: that it is good and proper for a man to eat and
drink and enjoy himself in return for his labours here under the sun,
throughout the brief span of life which God has allotted him.
19 Moreover,
it is a gift of God that every man to whom he has granted wealth
and riches and the power to enjoy them should accept his lot and
rejoice in his labour.
20 He will not dwell overmuch upon the passing
years; for God fills his note time with joy of heart.
1 Here is an evil under the sun which I have seen, and it weighs heavy
upon men.
2 Consider the man to whom God grants wealth, riches, and
-- --
The emptiness of all endeavour
substance, note and who lacks nothing that he has set his heart on: if God
has not given him the power to enjoy these things, but a stranger
enjoys them instead, that is emptiness and a grave disorder.
3 A man may
have a hundred children and live a long life; but however many his
days may be, if he does not get satisfaction from the good things of life
and in the end receives no burial, then I maintain that the still-born
child is in better case than he.
4 Its coming is an empty thing, it departs
into darkness, and in darkness its name is hidden;
5 it has never seen the
sun or known anything, note yet its state is better than his.
6 What if a man
should live a thousand years twice over, and never prosper? Do not
both go to one place?
7 The end of all man's toil is but to fill his belly, note yet his appetite is
never satisfied.
8 What advantage then in facing life has the wise man over
the fool, or the poor man for all his experience?
9 It is better to be
satisfied with what is before your eyes than give rein to desire; this too
is emptiness and chasing the wind.
10 Whatever has already existed has
been given a name, its nature is known; a man cannot contend with what
is stronger than he.
11 The more words one uses the greater is the emptiness
of it all; and where is the advantage to a man?
12 For who can know
what is good for a man in this life, this brief span of empty existence
through which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what is to
happen next here under the sun?
Wisdom and folly compared
1 A good name smells sweeter than the finest ointment, and
the day of death is better than the day of birth.
2 Better to visit
the house of mourning than the house of feasting; for to be mourned
is the lot of every man, and the living should take this to heart.
3 Grief is
better than laughter: a sad face may go with a cheerful heart.
4 Wise
men's thoughts are at home in the house of mourning, but a fool's
thoughts in the house of mirth.
5 It is better to listen to a wise man's
rebuke than to the praise of fools.
6 For the laughter of a fool is like the
crackling of thorns under a pot.
7 This too is emptiness. Slander drives
a wise man crazy and breaks a strong man's note spirit.
8 Better the end of
anything than its beginning; better patience than pride.
9 Do not be
quick to show resentment; for resentment is nursed by fools.
10 Do not
ask why the old days were better than these; for that is a foolish question.
11 Wisdom is better than possessions and an advantage to all who see the
-- --
Wisdom and folly compared
sun.
12 Better have wisdom behind you than money; wisdom profits men
by giving life to those who know her.
13 Consider God's handiwork; who can straighten what he has made
crooked?
14 When things go well, be glad; but when things go ill, consider
this: God has set the one alongside the other in such a way that no one
can find out what is to happen next. note
15 In my empty existence I have seen
it all, from a righteous man perishing in his righteousness to a wicked
man growing old in his wickedness.
16 Do not be over-righteous and do
not be over-wise.
17 Why make yourself a laughing-stock? Do not be
over-wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
18 It is good to hold on to the one thing and not lose hold of the other; for
a man who fears God will succeed both ways.
19 Wisdom makes the wise
man stronger than the ten rulers of a city.
20 The world contains no man
so righteous that he can do right always and never do wrong. note
21 Moreover,
do not pay attention to everything men say, or you may hear your
servant disparage you;
22 for you know very well how many times you
yourself have disparaged others.
23 All this I have put to the test of
wisdom. I said, ‘I am resolved to be wise’, but wisdom was beyond my
grasp—whatever has happened lies beyond our grasp,
24 deep down,
deeper than man can fathom.
25 I went on to reflect, I set my mind note to inquire and search for wisdom
and for the reason in things, only to discover that it is folly to be wicked
and madness to act like a fool.
26 The wiles of a woman I find mightier note
than death; her heart is a trap to catch you and her arms are fetters. The
man who is pleasing to God may escape her, but she will catch a sinner.
27 ‘See,’ says the Speaker, ‘this is what I have found, reasoning things
out one by one, after searching long without success:
28 I have found one
man in a thousand worth the name, but I have not found one woman
among them all.
29 This alone I have found, that God, when he made man,
made him straightforward, but man invents endless subtleties of his
own.’
1 Who is wise enough for all this? Who knows the meaning of anything?
Wisdom lights up a man's face, but grim looks make a man
hated. note
2 Do as the king commands you, and if you have to swear by God,
do not be precipitate.
3 Leave the king's presence and do not persist in
a thing which displeases him; he does what he chooses.
4 For the king's
word carries authority.
5 Who can question what he does? Whoever
obeys a command will come to no harm. A wise man knows in his heart
the right time and method for action.
6 There is a time and a method for
every enterprise,
7 although man is greatly troubled by ignorance of the
-- --
Wisdom and folly compared
future; who can tell him what it will bring?
8 It is not in man's power to
restrain the wind, note and no one has power over the day of death. In war
no one can lay aside his arms, no wealth will save its possessor.
9 All this
I have seen, having applied my mind to everything done under the sun.
There was a time when one man had power over another and could make
him suffer.
10 It was then that I saw wicked men approaching and even
entering note the holy place; and they went about the city priding themselves
on note having done right.
11 This too is emptiness. It is because
sentence upon a wicked act is not promptly carried out that men do evil
so boldly.
12 A sinner may do wrong note and live to old age, yet I know that it
will be well with those who fear God: their fear of him ensures this,
but it will not be well with a wicked man nor will he live long;
13 the man
who does not fear God is a mere shadow.
14 There is an empty thing
found on earth: when the just man gets what is due to the unjust, and
the unjust what is due to the just. I maintain that this too is emptiness.
15 So I commend enjoyment, since there is nothing good for a man to do
here under the sun but to eat and drink and enjoy himself; this is all
that will remain with him to reward his toil throughout the span of life
which God grants him here under the sun.
16 I applied my mind to
acquire wisdom and to observe the business which goes on upon earth,
when man never closes an eye in sleep day or night;
17 and always I
perceived that God has so ordered it that man should not be able to
discover what is happening here under the sun. However hard a man
may try, he will not find out; the wise man may think that he knows,
but he will be unable to find the truth of it.
1 I applied my mind to all this, and I understood that the righteous
and the wise and all their doings are under God's control; but is it love
or hatred? No man knows. Everything that confronts him, everything
is empty, note
2 since one and the same fate befalls every one, just and unjust
alike, good and bad, note clean and unclean, the man who offers sacrifice
and the man who does not. Good man and sinner fare alike, the man who
can take an oath and the man who dares not.
3 This is what is wrong in
all that is done here under the sun: that one and the same fate befalls
every man. The hearts of men are full of evil; madness fills their hearts
all through their lives, and after that they go down note to join the dead.
4 But for a man who is counted among the living there is still hope:
remember, a live dog is better than a dead lion.
5 True, the living know
that they will die; but the dead know nothing. There are no more
rewards for them; they are utterly forgotten.
6 For them love, hate,
-- --
Wisdom and folly compared
ambition, note all are now over. Never again will they have any part in
what is done here under the sun.
7 Go to it then, eat your food and enjoy it, and drink your wine with
a cheerful heart; for already God has accepted what you have done.
8
9 Always be dressed in white and never fail to anoint your head. Enjoy
life with a woman you love all the days of your allotted span here under
the sun, empty as they are; note for that is your lot while you live and
labour here under the sun.
10 Whatever task lies to your hand, do it with
all your might; because in Sheol, for which you are bound, there is
neither doing nor thinking, neither understanding nor wisdom.
11 One
more thing I have observed here under the sun: speed does not win the
race nor strength the battle. Bread does not belong to the wise, nor
wealth to the intelligent, nor success to the skilful; time and chance
govern all.
12 Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come; like
fish caught in a net, note like a bird taken in a snare, so men are trapped
when bad times come suddenly.
13 This too is an example of wisdom as I have observed it here under
the sun, and notable I find it.
14 There was a small town with few inhabitants,
and a great king came to attack it; he besieged it and constructed
great siege-works note against it.
15 There was in it a poor wise man, and he
alone might have saved the town by his wisdom, but no one remembered
that poor wise man.
16 ‘Surely’, I said to myself, ‘wisdom is better than
strength.’ But the poor man's wisdom was despised, and his words
went unheeded.
17 A wise man who speaks his mind calmly is more to be
heeded than a commander shouting orders among fools.
18 Wisdom is
better than weapons of war, and one mistake can undo many things
done well.
1 Dead flies make the perfumer's sweet ointment turn rancid and
ferment; so can a little folly make wisdom lose its worth.
2 The mind of
the wise man faces right, but the mind of the fool faces left.
3 Even when
he walks along the road, the fool shows no sense and calls everyone else note
a fool.
4 If your ruler breaks out in anger against you, do not resign your
post; submission makes amends for great mistakes.
5 There is an evil
that I have observed here under the sun, an error for which a ruler is
responsible:
6 the fool given high office, but note the great and the rich in
humble posts.
7 I have seen slaves on horseback and men of high rank
going on foot like slaves.
8 The man who digs a pit may fall into it, and
he who pulls down a wall may be bitten by a snake.
9 The man who
quarries stones may strain himself, and the woodcutter runs a risk of
injury.
10 When the axe is blunt and has not first note been sharpened, then
-- --
Wisdom and folly compared
one must use more force; the wise man has a better chance of success.
11 If a snake bites before it is charmed, the snake-charmer loses his fee.
12 A wise man's words win him favour, but a fool's tongue is his
undoing.
13 He begins by talking nonsense and ends in mischief run mad.
14 The fool talks on and on; but no man knows what is coming, and who
can tell him what will come after that?
15 The fool wearies himself to
death note with all his labour, for he does not know the way to town.
16 Woe betide the land when a slave has become its king, and its princes
feast in the morning.
17 Happy the land when its king is nobly born, and
its princes feast at the right time of day, with self-control, and not as
drunkards.
18 If the owner is negligent the rafters collapse, and if he is
idle the house crumbles away.
19 The table has its pleasures, and wine
makes a cheerful life; and money is behind it all.
20 Do not speak ill of
the king in your ease, or of a rich man in your bedroom; for a bird may
carry your voice, and a winged messenger may repeat what you say.
1 Send your grain across the seas, and in time you will get a return.
2 Divide your merchandise among seven ventures, eight maybe, since
you do not know what disasters may occur on earth. note
3 If the clouds are
heavy with rain, they will discharge it on the earth; whether a tree falls
south or north, it must lie as it falls.
4 He who watches the wind will
never sow, and he who keeps an eye on the clouds will never reap.
5 You
do not know how a pregnant woman comes to have a body and a living
spirit in her womb; nor do you know how God, the maker of all things,
works.
6 In the morning sow your seed betimes, and do not stop work
until evening, for you do not know whether this or that sowing will be
successful, or whether both alike will do well.
Advice to a young man
7 The light of day is sweet, and pleasant to the eye is the
sight of the sun;
8 if a man lives for many years, he should rejoice
in all of them. But let him remember that the days of darkness will be
many.
9 Everything that is to come will be emptiness. Delight in your
boyhood, young man, make the most of the days of your youth; let
your heart and your eyes show you the way; but remember that for all
these things God will call you to account.
10 Banish discontent from your
mind, and shake off the troubles of the body; boyhood and the prime
of life are mere emptiness.
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