Jul 25 - Ecclesiastes 5-8
Ecclesiastes
1Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.2Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.3As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.4When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.5It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it.6Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands?7Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.8If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still.9The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.10Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless.11As goods increase, so do those who consume them. And what benefit are they to the owner except to feast his eyes on them?12The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of a rich man permits him no sleep.13I have seen a grievous evil under the sun: wealth hoarded to the harm of its owner,14or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him.15Naked a man comes from his mother's womb, and as he comes, so he departs. He takes nothing from his labor that he can carry in his hand.16This too is a grievous evil: As a man comes, so he departs, and what does he gain, since he toils for the wind?17All his days he eats in darkness, with great frustration, affliction and anger.18Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him-for this is his lot.19Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God.20He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart.
1I have seen another evil under the sun, and it weighs heavily on men:2God gives a man wealth, possessions and honor, so that he lacks nothing his heart desires, but God does not enable him to enjoy them, and a stranger enjoys them instead. This is meaningless, a grievous evil.3A man may have a hundred children and live many years; yet no matter how long he lives, if he cannot enjoy his prosperity and does not receive proper burial, I say that a stillborn child is better off than he.4It comes without meaning, it departs in darkness, and in darkness its name is shrouded.5Though it never saw the sun or knew anything, it has more rest than does that man-6even if he lives a thousand years twice over but fails to enjoy his prosperity. Do not all go to the same place?7All man's efforts are for his mouth, yet his appetite is never satisfied.8What advantage has a wise man over a fool? What does a poor man gain by knowing how to conduct himself before others?9Better what the eye sees than the roving of the appetite. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.10Whatever exists has already been named, and what man is has been known; no man can contend with one who is stronger than he.11The more the words, the less the meaning, and how does that profit anyone?12For who knows what is good for a man in life, during the few and meaningless days he passes through like a shadow? Who can tell him what will happen under the sun after he is gone?
1A good name is better than fine perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.2It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart.3Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart.4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.5It is better to heed a wise man's rebuke than to listen to the song of fools.6Like the crackling of thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of fools. This too is meaningless.7Extortion turns a wise man into a fool, and a bribe corrupts the heart.8The end of a matter is better than its beginning, and patience is better than pride.9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.10Do not say, "Why were the old days better than these?" For it is not wise to ask such questions.11Wisdom, like an inheritance, is a good thing and benefits those who see the sun.12Wisdom is a shelter as money is a shelter, but the advantage of knowledge is this: that wisdom preserves the life of its possessor.13Consider what God has done: Who can straighten what he has made crooked?14When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future.15In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: a righteous man perishing in his righteousness, and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.16Do not be overrighteous, neither be overwise- why destroy yourself?17Do not be overwicked, and do not be a fool- why die before your time?18It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. The man who fears God will avoid all extremes.19Wisdom makes one wise man more powerful than ten rulers in a city.20There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins.21Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you-22for you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.23All this I tested by wisdom and I said, "I am determined to be wise"- but this was beyond me.24Whatever wisdom may be, it is far off and most profound- who can discover it?25So I turned my mind to understand, to investigate and to search out wisdom and the scheme of things and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the madness of folly.26I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God will escape her, but the sinner she will ensnare.27"Look," says the Teacher, "this is what I have discovered: "Adding one thing to another to discover the scheme of things-28while I was still searching but not finding- I found one upright man among a thousand, but not one upright woman among them all.29This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes."
1Who is like the wise man? Who knows the explanation of things? Wisdom brightens a man's face and changes its hard appearance.2Obey the king's command, I say, because you took an oath before God.3Do not be in a hurry to leave the king's presence. Do not stand up for a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.4Since a king's word is supreme, who can say to him, "What are you doing?"5Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm, and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, though a man's misery weighs heavily upon him.7Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come?8No man has power over the wind to contain it; so no one has power over the day of his death. As no one is discharged in time of war, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.9All this I saw, as I applied my mind to everything done under the sun. There is a time when a man lords it over others to his own hurt.10Then too, I saw the wicked buried-those who used to come and go from the holy place and receive praise in the city where they did this. This too is meaningless.11When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.12Although a wicked man commits a hundred crimes and still lives a long time, I know that it will go better with God-fearing men, who are reverent before God.13Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.14There is something else meaningless that occurs on earth: righteous men who get what the wicked deserve, and wicked men who get what the righteous deserve. This too, I say, is meaningless.15So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun.16When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe man's labor on earth-his eyes not seeing sleep day or night-17then I saw all that God has done. No one can comprehend what goes on under the sun. Despite all his efforts to search it out, man cannot discover its meaning. Even if a wise man claims he knows, he cannot really comprehend it.