the teachers search for meaning these are the words of the teacher King David's son who ruled in Jerusalem everything is meaningless says the teacher completely meaningless what do people get for all their hard work Under the Sun Generations come and generations go but the Earth never changes the sun rises and the sun sets then hurries around to Rise Again The Wind Blows South and then turns North around and around it goes blowing in circles rivers run into the sea but the sea is Never full then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out
again to the Sea and everything is wearisome beyond description no matter how much we see We are Never Satisfied no matter how much we hear we are not content history merely repeats itself it has all been done before nothing Under the Sun is truly new sometimes people say here is something new but actually it is old nothing is ever truly new we don't remember what happened in the past and in future Generations no one will remember what we are doing now I the teacher was king of Israel and I lived in Jerusalem I devoted myself
to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under Heaven I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race I observed everything going on under the sun and really it is all meaningless like chasing the wind what is wrong cannot be made right what is missing cannot be recovered I said to myself look I am wiser than any of the Kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them so I set out to learn everything from wisdom to Madness and
Folly but I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind the greater my wisdom the greater my grief to increase knowledge only increases sorrow I said to myself come on let's try pleasure let's look for the good things in life but I found that this too was meaningless so I said laughter is silly what good does it do to seek pleasure after much thought I decided to cheer myself with wine and while still seeking wisdom I clutched at foolishness in this way I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during
their brief life in this world I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards I made Gardens and Parks filling them with all kinds of fruit trees I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing Groves I bought slaves both men and women and others were born into my household I also owned large herds and flocks more than any of the Kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me I collected great sums of silver and gold The Treasure of Many Kings and provinces I hired
wonderful singers both men and women and had many beautiful concubines I had everything a man could desire so I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me and my wisdom never failed me anything I wanted I would take I denied myself no pleasure I even found found great pleasure and hard work a reward for all my labors but as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish it was all so meaningless like chasing the wind there was nothing really worthwhile anywhere so I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and
Madness but who can do this better than I the king I thought wisdom is better than foolishness just as light is better than Darkness for the wise can see where they are going but fools walk in the dark yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate both will die so I said to myself since I will end up the same as the fool what's the value of all my wisdom this is all so meaningless for the wise and the foolish both die the wise will not be remembered any longer than
the fool in the days to come both will be forgotten so I came to hate life because everything done here here under the sun is so troubling everything is meaningless like chasing the wind I came to hate all my hard work here on Earth for I must leave to others everything I have earned and who can tell whether my successes will be wise or foolish yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work Under the Sun how meaningless so I gave up in despair questioning the value of all my hard
work in this world some people work wisely with knowledge and skill then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it this too is meaningless a great tragedy so what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety their days of Labor are filled with pain and grief even at night their minds cannot rest it is all meaningless so I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work then I realize that these Pleasures are from the hand of
God for who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him God gives wisdom knowledge and joy to those who please him but if a sinner becomes wealthy God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him this too is meaningless like chasing the wind for everything there is a season a time for every activity under Heaven a time to be born and a time to die a time to plant and a time to harvest a Time time to kill and a time to heal a time to tear down and a time to
build up a time to cry and a time to laugh a time to grieve and a time to dance a time to scatter stones and a time to gather Stones a time to embrace and a time to turn away a time to search and a time to quit searching a time to keep and a time to throw away a time to tear and a time to mend a time to be quiet and a time to speak a time to love and a time to hate a time for war and a Time For Peace what do
people really get for all their hard work I have seen the burden God has placed on us all yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time he has planted eternity in the human heart but even so people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end so I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can and people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor for these are gifts from God and I know that whatever God does is final
nothing can be added to it or taken from it God's purpose is that people should fear Him what is happening now has happened before and what will happen in the future has happened before because God makes the same things happen over and over again I also notice that Under the Sun there is evil in the courtroom yes even the courts of law are corrupt I said to myself in due season God will judge everyone both good and bad for all their deeds I also thought about The Human Condition how God proves to people that they
are like animals for people and animals share the same fate both breathe and both must die so people have no real advantage over the animals how meaningless both go to the same place they came from dust and they return to dust for who can prove that the human Spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the Earth so I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work that is why we are here no one will bring us back from Death to enjoy life after we die
again I observe all the oppression that takes place under the sun I saw the tears of the oppressed with no one to comfort them the oppressors have great power and their victims are helpless so I concluded that the dead are better off than the living but most fortunate of all are those who are not yet born for they have not seen all the evil that is done under the sun then I observ that most people are motivated to success because they Envy their neighbors but this too is meaningless like chasing the wind fools fold their
Idle Hands leading them to ruin and yet better to have one handful with quietness than two handfuls with hard work and chasing the wind I observed yet another example of something meaningless Under the Sun this is the case of a man who is all alone without a child or a brother yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can but then he asks himself who am I working for why am I giving up so much pleasure now it is all so meaningless and depressing two people are better off than one but they
can help each other succeed if one person falls the other can reach out and help but someone who falls alone is in real trouble likewise two people lying close together can keep each other warm but how can one be warm alone a person standing alone can be attacked and defeated but two can stand back to back and Conquer three are even better for a triple braided cord is not easily broken it is better to be a poor but wise youth than an old and foolish King who refuses all advice such a youth could rise from
poverty and succeed he might even become king though he has been in prison but then everyone rushes to the side of yet another youth who replaces him endless crowds stand around him but then another generation grows up and rejects him too so it is all meaningless like chasing the wind as you enter the house of God keep your ears open and your mouth shut it is evil to make mindless offerings rings to God Don't Make rash promises and don't be Hasty in bringing matters before God after all God is in heaven and you are here
on Earth so let your Words Be Few too much activity Gives You Restless dreams too many words make you a fool when you make a promise to God don't delay in following through for God takes no pleasure in fools keep all the promises you make to him it is better to say nothing than to make make a promise and not keep it don't let your mouth make you sin and don't defend yourself by telling the temple messenger that the promise you made was a mistake that would make God angry and he might wipe out everything
you have achieved talk is cheap like Daydreams and other useless activities fear God instead don't be surprised if you see a poor person being oppressed by the powerful and if Justice is being miscarried throughout the land for every official is under order ERS from higher up and matters of Justice get lost in red tape and bureaucracy even the king milks the land for his own profit those who love money will never have enough how meaningless to think that wealth brings true happiness people who work hard sleep well whether they eat little or much but the
rich seldom get a good night's sleep there is another serious problem I have seen Under the Sun hoarding riches harms the saver money is put into risky Investments that turn sour and everything is lost in the end there is nothing left to pass on to one's children we all come to the end of our Lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born we can't take our riches with us and this too is a very serious problem people leave this world no better off than when they came all their hard work is
for nothing like working for the wind throughout their lives they live under a cloud frustrated discouraged and angry even so I have noticed one thing at least that is good it is good for people to eat drink and enjoy their work Under the Sun during the short life God has given them and to accept their lot in life and it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it to enjoy your work and accept your lot in life this is indeed a gift from God God keeps such people
so busy in enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past there is another serious tragedy I have seen Under the Sun and it weighs heavily on Humanity God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want but then he doesn't give them the chance to enjoy these things they die and someone else even a stranger ends up enjoying their wealth this is meaningless a sickening tragedy a man might have a hundred children and live to be very old but if he finds no satisfaction in life and doesn't
even get a decent burial it would have been better for him to be born dead his birth would have been meaningless and he would have ended in darkness he wouldn't even have had a name and he would never have seen the Sun or known of its existence yet he would have had more peace than in growing up to be an unhappy man he might live A Thousand Years twice over but still not find contentment and since he must die like everyone else well what's the use all people spend their lives scratching for food but they
never seem to have enough so are wise people really better off than fools do poor people gain anything by being wise and knowing how to act in front of others enjoy what you have rather than Desiring what you don't have just dreaming about nice things is meaningless like chasing the wind everything has already been decided it was known long ago what each person would be so there's no use arguing with God about your destiny the more words you speak the less they mean so what good are they in the few days of our meaningless Lives
who knows how our days can best be spent our lives are like a shadow who can tell what will happen on this Earth after we are gone a good reputation is more valuable than costly perfume and the day day you die is better than the day you are born better to spend your time at funerals than at parties after all everyone dies so the living should take this to Heart sorrow is better than laughter for sadness has a refining influence on us a wise person thinks a lot about death while a fool thinks only about
having a good time better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool a Fool's laughter is quickly gone like thorn crackling in a fire this also is meaningless extortion turns wise people into fools and bribes corrupt the heart finishing is better than starting patience is better than Pride control your temper for anger labels you a fool don't long for the good old days this is not wise wisdom is even better when you have money both are a benefit as you go through life wisdom and money can get you almost
anything but only wisdom can save your life except the way God does things for who can straighten what he has made crooked enjoy Prosperity while you can but when hard times strike realize that both come from God remember that nothing is certain in this life I have seen everything in this meaningless life including the death of good young people and the long life of wicked people so don't be too good or too wise why destroy yourself on the other hand don't be too Wicked either don't be a fool why die before your time pay attention
to these instructions for anyone who fears God will avoid both extremes one wise person is stronger than 10 leading citizens of a town not a single person on earth is always good and never sins don't e drop on others you may hear your servant curse you for you know how often you yourself have cursed others I have always tried my best to let wisdom guide my thoughts and actions I said to myself I I am determined to be wise but it didn't work wisdom is always distant and difficult to find I searched everywhere determined to
find wisdom and to understand the reason for things I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness I discovered that a sedu Ive woman is a trap more bitter than death her passion is a snare and her soft hands will bind you those who please God will escape her but Sinners will be caught in her snare this is my conclusion how wonderful to be wise to analyze and interpret things wisdom lights up a person's face softening its harshness obey the king since you vowed to God that you would
don't try to avoid doing your duty and don't stand with those who plot evil for the king can do whatever he wants his command is backed by great power no one can resist or question it those who obey him will not be punished those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right for there is a time and a way for everything even when a person is in trouble indeed how can people avoid what they don't know is going to happen none of us can hold back our spirit from
departing none of us has the power to prevent the day of our death there is no escaping that obligation that Dark Battle and in the face of death wickedness will certainly not rescue the wicked I have thought deeply about all that goes on here under the sun where people have the power to hurt each other I have seen Wicked people buried with honor yet they were the very ones who frequented the temple and are now praised in the same city where they committed their crimes this too is meaningless when a crime is not punished quickly
people feel it is safe to do wrong but even though a person sins a hundred times and still lives a long time I know that those who fear God will be better off the wicked will not Prosper for they do not fear God their days will never grow long like the evening shadows and this is not all that is meaningless in our world in this life good people are often treated as as though they were Wicked and wicked people are often treated as though they were good this is so meaningless so I recommend having fun
because there is nothing better for people in this world than to eat drink and enjoy life that way they will experience some happiness along with all the hard work God gives them under the sun in my search for wisdom and in my observation of people's burdens here on Earth I discovered that there is ceaseless activity day and night I realize that no one can discover everything God is doing Under the Sun not even the wisest people discover everything no matter what they claim this too I carefully explored even though the actions of Godly and wise
people are in God's hands no one knows whether God will show them favor the same Destiny ultimately awaits everyone whether righteous or wicked good or bad ceremonially clean or unclean religious or irreligious good people receive the same treatment as Sinners and people who make promises to God are treated like people who don't it seems so tragic that everyone Under the Sun suffers the same fate that is why people are not more careful to be good instead they choose their own mad course for they have no hope there is nothing ahead but death anyway there is
hope only for the living as they say it's better to be a live dog than a dead life lion the living at least know they will die but the dead know nothing they have no further reward nor are they remembered whatever they did in their lifetime loving hating envying is all long gone they no longer play a part in anything here on Earth so go ahead eat your food with joy and drink your wine with a happy heart for God approves of this wear fine clothes with a splash of alone live happily with the woman
you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun the wife God gives you is your reward for all your Earthly toil whatever you do do well for when you go to the Grave there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom I have observed something else Under the Sun the fastest runner doesn't always win the race and the strongest Warrior doesn't always win the battle the wise sometimes go hungry and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy and those who are educated don't always lead successful lives
it is all decided by chance by being in the right place at the right time people can never predict when hard times might come like fish in a net or birds in a trap people are caught by sudden tragedy here is another bit of wisdom that has impressed me as I have watched the way our world works there was a small town with only a few people and a great king came with his army and besieged it a poor wise man knew how to save the town and so it was rescued but afterward no one
thought to thank him so even though wisdom is better than strength those who are wise will be despised if they are poor what they say will not be appreciated for long better to hear the quiet words of a wise person than the shouts of a foolish King better to have wisdom than weapons of war but one sinner can destroy much that is is good as dead flies cause even a bottle of perfume to stink so a little foolishness spoils great wisdom and honor a wise person chooses the right Road a fool takes the wrong one
you can identify fools just by the way they walk down the street if your boss is angry at you don't quit a quiet Spirit can overcome even great mistakes there is another evil I have seen Under the Sun Kings and rulers make a grave mistake when they give great authority to foolish people and low positions to people of proven worth I have even seen servants riding horseback like princes and princes walking like servants when you dig a well you might fall in when you demolish an old wall you could be bitten by a snake when
you work in a quarry Stones might fall and Crush you when you chop wood there is danger with each stroke of your axe using a dull axe requires great strength so sharpen the blade that's the value of wisdom it helps you succeed if a snake bites before you charm it what's the use of being a snake charma wise words bring approval but fools are destroyed by their own words fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions so their conclusions will be Wicked Madness they chatter on and on no one really knows what is going to happen
no one can predict the future fools are so exhausted by a little work that they can't even find their way home what sorrow for the land ruled by a servant the land whose leaders feast in the morning happy is the land whose King is a noble leader and whose leaders Feast at the proper time to gain strength for their work not to get drunk laziness leads to a sagging roof idleness leads to a leaky house a party gives laughter wine gives happiness and money gives everything never make light of the king even in your thoughts
and don't make fun of the powerful even in your own bedroom for a little bird might deliver your message and tell them what you said send your grain across the seas and in time profits will flow back to you but divide your Investments among many places for you do not know what risks might lie ahead when clouds are heavy the rains come down whether a tree falls North or South it stays where it falls farmers who wait for perfect weather never plant if they watch every cloud they never Harvest just as you cannot understand the
path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother's womb so you cannot understand the activity of God who does all things plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another or maybe both light is sweet how pleasant to see a New Day Dawning when people live to be very old let them rejoice in every day of life but let them also remember there will be many Dark Days everything still to come is meaningless young people
it's wonderful to be young enjoy every minute of it do everything you want to do take it all in but remember that you must give an account to God for everything you do so refuse to worry and keep your body healthy but remember that youth with a whole life before you is meaningless don't let the excitement of Youth cause you to forget your creator honor him in your youth before you grow old and say life is not pleasant anymore remember him before the light of the sun moon and stars is dim to your old eyes
and rain clouds continually darken your Sky remember him before your legs the guards of your house start to tremble and before your shoulders the strong men stoop remember him before your teeth your few remaining servants stop grinding and before your eyes the women Looking Through the Windows see dimly remember him before the door to Life's opportunities is closed and the sound of work Fades now you rise at the first chirping of the birds but then all their sounds will grow faint remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets
before your hair turns white like an almond tree and Bloom and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper and the Capper Berry no longer inspires sexual desire remember him before you near the grave your Everlasting home when the mourners will weep at your funeral yes remember your creator now while you are young before the silver cord of Life snaps and the Golden Bowl is broken don't wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well for then the dust will return to the Earth and the
spirit will return to God who gave it everything is meaningless says the teacher completely meaningless keep this in mind the teacher was considered wise and he taught the people everything he knew he listened carefully to many Proverbs studying and classifying them the teacher sought to find just the right words to express truths clearly the words of the wise are like cattle prods painful but helpful they're their collected sayings are like a nail studded stick with which a Shepherd drives the Sheep but my child let me give you some further advice be careful for writing books
is endless and much study wears you out that's the whole story here now is my final conclusion fear God and obey his commands for this is everyone's Duty God will judge us for everything we do including every secret thing whether good or bad
