19 June - Ecclesiastes 1-6

Jude Sat Dec 29, 2018 12:45 am

My soul doth magnify my YAH, and my spirit hath rejoiced in EL my Saviour; For HE that is mighty hath done to me great things; and Holy is HIS Name. Now unto HIM who is ever present in my helpless estate; who is able to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the presence of His Glory with exceeding joy, unto the King Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise EL our Saviour be honour and glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and for ever Halleluyah!

ECCLESIASTES 1

1The words of Qoheletha, son of Dawiḏ, sovereign in Yerushalayim.

2“Futility! Futility!” says Qoheleth. “Futility, futility, all is futile!”

3What does man gain from all his labour in which he toils under the sun?

4A generation passes away, and a generation comes, but the earth stands forever.

5The sun also rises, and the sun sets, and hurries back to the place where it arose.

6Going to the south, and turning round to the north, turning, turning, and on its rounds the wind returns.

7All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea never overflows. To the place from which the rivers come, there they return again.

8All matters are wearisome, no one is able to speak of it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

9What has been is what shall be, what has been done is what shall be done, and there is no new matter under the sun.

10Is there a matter of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It was here already, long ago.

11There is no remembrance of former ones, nor is there any remembrance of those that are to come by those who come later on.

12I, Qoheleth, was sovereign over Yisra’ĕl in Yerushalayim.

13And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that has been done under the heavens; this evil task Elohim has given to the sons of man, to be humbled by it.

14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun. And see, all was futile and feeding on wind.

15The crooked could not be straightened, and what is lacking could not be counted.

16So I spoke to my heart, saying, “See, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Yerushalayim. And my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge.”

17And I set my heart to know wisdom – and to know madness and folly. I know that this too is feeding on wind.

18For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases suffering.

ECCLESIASTES 2

1I said in my heart, “Come now, let me try you with rejoicing and find out what is good.” But see, that too was futile.

2I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of rejoicing, “What does it do?”

3I searched in my heart how to stimulate my body with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their lives.

4I made my works great, I built myself houses, I planted vineyards for myself.

5I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

6I made pools of water for myself, to water from them a plantation of growing trees.

7I bought male and female servants, and I came to have sons of the household. Also, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were before me in Yerushalayim.

8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasures of sovereigns and of the provinces. I provided male and female singers for myself, and the pleasures of men – a woman and women.

9Thus I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Yerushalayim. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10And all that my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labour. And this was my portion from all my labour.

11But when I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled, see, all was futile and feeding on wind, and there was no gain under the sun.

12And I turned myself to look at wisdom, and madness, and folly. For what would the man do who comes after the sovereign except what already has been done?

13Then I saw that wisdom is better than folly, as light is better than darkness.

14The wise one’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I also knew that one event befalls them all.

15And I said in my heart, “As the event of the fool, even so it befalls me, and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is futile.”

16For there is no more lasting remembrance of the wise than of the fool, since in the days to come all is forgotten. And how does a wise man die? With the fool!

17And I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was evil on me, for all is futile and feeding on wind.

18And I hated all my labour in which I had toiled under the sun, because I leave it to a man who would come after me.

19And who knows whether he is wise or foolish? Yet he shall rule over all my labour in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. That too is futile.

20So I turned my heart and despaired of all the labour in which I had toiled under the sun.

21For a man might labour with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he leaves his heritage to a man who has not laboured for it. That too is futile and a great evil.

22For what does a man get for all his labour and strain of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?

23For all his days are sufferings, and his work grievous; even in the night his heart takes no rest. That too is futile.

24A man could do no better but to eat and drink, and enjoy himself in his labour! That too, I saw, was from the hand of Elohim.

25For who eats or who finds enjoyment without Him?

26For He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His eyes. But to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting, to give to him who is good before Elohim. That too is futile and feeding on wind.

ECCLESIASTES 3

1For every matter there is an appointed time, even a time for every pursuit under the heavens:

2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot;

3a time to slay, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;

7a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;

8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for battle, and a time for peace.

9What does the worker gain from his toil?

10I have seen the task Elohim has given to the sons of men to be humbled by it.

11He has made it all, pretty in its time. Even the ages He has put in their hearts, except that no one finds out the work that Elohim does from beginning to end.

12I know that there is no good for them but to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

13and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is a gift of Elohim.

14I know that whatever Elohim does is forever. There is no adding to it, and there is no taking from it. Elohim does it, that men should fear before Him.

15Whatever is has already been, and what shall be has been before. But Elohim seeks out what has been pursued.

16Then again I saw under the sun: In the place of right-ruling, wrongness was there. And in the place of righteousness, wrongness was there.

17I said in my heart, “Elohim judges the righteous and the wrong, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.”

18I said in my heart, “Concerning the matter of the sons of men, Elohim selects them, so as to see that they themselves are beasts.”

19For the event of the sons of men is also the event of beasts – one event befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Indeed, they all have one breath – man has no advantage over beasts. For all is futile.

20All are going to one place – all came from the dust, and all return to dust.

21Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, which goes down to the earth?

22So I saw that man could do no better but to rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who would bring him to see what shall be after him?

ECCLESIASTES 4

1Then I looked again at all the oppression that is done under the sun: And see! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter; and power on the side of their oppressors, but they have no comforter.

2Therefore I commended the dead who were already dead, more than the living who are still alive.

3And better than both is he who has never existed, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

4And I saw that all the toil and skill of the work bring envy between man and his neighbour. That too is futile and feeding on wind.

5The fool folds his hands and consumes his own flesh.

6Better is a hand filled with rest than both hands filled with toil and feeding on wind.

7Then I looked again at futility under the sun:

8There is one, without a second, who has neither son nor brother. And there is no end to all his labours. His eye also is not satisfied with riches. “And for whom am I toiling and depriving myself of good?” That too is futility, and an evil task.

9Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour.

10For if they fall, one lifts his companion up. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.

11Also, if two lie down together, they keep warm; but how does one keep warm by himself?

12Although one might be overpowered, two withstand him. And a threefold cord is not readily broken.

13A poor and wise youth is better than an old and foolish sovereign who no longer knows how to take warning.

14For he comes out of prison to be sovereign, although in his reign he was born poor.

15I have seen all the living who walk under the sun; they were with the second youth who stands in his place.

16There was no end of all the people; all of whom he headed. But the ones who come afterward do not rejoice in him. For that too is futile and feeding on wind.

ECCLESIASTES 5

1Guard your steps when you go to the House of Elohim. And draw near to listen rather than to give the slaughtering of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

2Do not be hasty with your mouth, and let not your heart hurry to bring forth a word before Elohim. For Elohim is in the heavens, and you on earth, therefore let your words be few.

3For a dream comes through the greatness of the task, and a fool’s voice is known by his many words.

4When you make a vow to Elohim, do not delay to pay it, for He takes no pleasure in fools. Pay that which you have vowed.

5It is better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin, nor say before the messenger of Elohim that it was a mistake. Why should Elohim be wroth at your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

7For in much dreaming and many words there is futility. But fear Elohim.

8If you see the oppression of the poor, and denial of right-ruling and righteousness in a province, do not be astonished at the matter. For a higher than the high is guarding, and there are higher ones over them.

9And the increase of the land is for all. The sovereign himself is served from the field.

10He who loves silver is not satisfied with silver; nor he who loves wealth, and increase. That too is futile.

11With the increase of goods, there is an increase of those consuming them. What advantage then is there to their owners, but to look on?

12Sweet is the sleep of a labourer whether he eats little or much, but the plenty of the rich does not let him sleep.

13There is a sickly evil I have seen under the sun: riches kept for their owner, for his evil.

14But those riches perish through evil use. And he brings forth a son, and there is naught in his hand.

15As he came naked from his mother’s womb, so he returns, to go as he came. And from his labour which goes into his hand he takes none whatsoever.

16And this too is a grievous evil – exactly as he came, so he goes. And what gain has he since he toiled for the wind?

17All his days he also eats in darkness, and with much sorrow and sickness and wrath.

18See what I have seen: It is good and pleasant for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which Elohim gives him, for it is his portion.

19Further, when Elohim has given any man riches and wealth, and permitted him to enjoy them, and to receive his portion and rejoice in his labour, this is a gift of Elohim.

20Though it not be much, let him remember the days of his life, because Elohim bears witness by the gladness of his heart.

ECCLESIASTES 6

1There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is great among men:

2A man to whom Elohim has given riches and wealth and esteem, so that his being lacks none at all of what he desires, but Elohim does not permit him to eat of it, and a foreigner consumes it. This is futile, and it is an evil disease.

3If a man brings forth a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his being is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a premature birth is better than he,

4for it comes in futility and goes away in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered;

5even the sun it has not seen – it has more rest than that man.

6And though he lives a thousand years twice over, yet he shall not see goodness. Do not all go to one place?

7All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not satisfied.

8For what advantage has the wise over the fool? What advantage does the poor have who knows how to walk before the living?

9What the eyes see is better than what the desire goes after. That too is futile and feeding on wind.

10Whatever shall be, has already been named, and it is known that he is son of Aḏam. And he is unable to contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11The more words, the more futility – what is to man the advantage?

12For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his futile life, which he passes like a shadow? For who declares to man what shall be after him, under the sun?