Ecclesiastes 4–8

Chapter 4

The Evils of Oppression

¹Then I looked again at all the acts of ^aoppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had ^bno one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

²So ^aI congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

³But ^abetter off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

⁴I have seen that every labor and every ^askill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is ^1bvanity and striving after wind.

⁵The fool ^afolds his hands and ^bconsumes his own flesh.

⁶One hand full of rest is ^abetter than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

⁷Then I looked again at vanity under the sun.

⁸There was a certain man without a ¹dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, ^ahis eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And ^bfor whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a ^cgrievous task.

⁹Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

¹⁰For if ¹either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not ²another to lift him up.

¹¹Furthermore, if two lie down together they ¹keep warm, but ^ahow can one be warm alone?

¹²And if ¹one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

¹³A ^apoor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive ¹instruction.

¹⁴For he has come ^aout of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

¹⁵I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who ¹replaces him.

¹⁶There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is ^avanity and striving after wind.

Chapter 5

Your Attitude Toward God

^11aGuard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the ^bsacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.

²¹Do not be ^ahasty ²in word or ³impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your ^bwords be few.

³For the dream comes through much ¹effort and the voice of a ^afool through many words.

⁴When you ^amake a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. ^bPay what you vow!

⁵It is ^abetter that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

⁶Do not let your ¹speech cause ²you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a ^amistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

⁷For in many dreams and in many words there is ¹emptiness. Rather, ^2afear God.

⁸If you see ^aoppression of the poor and ^bdenial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be ^cshocked at the ¹sight; for one ²official watches over another official, and there are higher ³officials over them.

⁹After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.

The Folly of Riches

^10aHe who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is ¹vanity.

^11aWhen good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to ¹look on?

¹²The sleep of the working man is ^apleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the ¹full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.

¹³There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: ^ariches being ¹hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

¹⁴When those riches were lost through ¹a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing ²to support him.

^15aAs he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will ^btake nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.

¹⁶This also is a grievous evil—exactly as a man ¹is born, thus will he ²die. So ^awhat is the advantage to him who ^btoils for the wind?

¹⁷Throughout his life ^ahe also eats in darkness with ^bgreat vexation, sickness and anger.

¹⁸Here is what I have seen to be ^agood and ¹fitting: to eat, to drink and ²enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few ³years of his life which God has given him; for this is his ^4breward.

¹⁹Furthermore, as for every man to whom ^aGod has given riches and wealth, He has also ^bempowered him to eat from them and to receive his ¹reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the ^cgift of God.

²⁰For he will not often ¹consider the ²years of his life, because ^aGod keeps ³him occupied with the gladness of his heart.

Chapter 6

The Futility of Life

¹There is an ^aevil which I have seen under the sun and it is prevalent ¹among men—

²a man to whom God has ^agiven riches and wealth and honor so that his soul ^blacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner ¹enjoys them. This is ²vanity and a severe affliction.

³If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, however many ¹they be, but his soul is not satisfied with good things and he does not even have a proper ^aburial, then I say, “Better ^bthe miscarriage than he,

⁴for it comes in futility and goes into obscurity; and its name is covered in obscurity.

⁵“It never sees the sun and it never knows anything; ¹it is better off than he.

⁶“Even if the other man lives a thousand years twice and does not ¹enjoy good things—^ado not all go to one place?”

^7aAll a man’s labor is for his mouth and yet the ¹appetite is not ²satisfied.

⁸For ^awhat advantage does the wise man have over the fool? What advantage does the poor man have, knowing how to walk before the living?

⁹What the eyes ^asee is better than what the soul ¹desires. This too is ^bfutility and a striving after wind.

¹⁰Whatever ^aexists has already been named, and it is known what man is; for he ^bcannot dispute with him who is stronger than he is.

¹¹For there are many words which increase futility. What then is the advantage to a man?

¹²For who knows what is good for a man during his lifetime, during the few ¹years of his futile life? He will ²spend them like a shadow. For who can tell a man ^awhat will be after him under the sun?

Chapter 7

Wisdom and Folly Contrasted

¹A ^agood name is better than a good ointment,

And the ^bday of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth.

²It is better to go to a house of mourning

Than to go to a house of feasting,

Because ¹that is the ^aend of every man,

And the living ^2btakes it to ³heart.

^3aSorrow is better than laughter,

For ^bwhen a face is sad a heart may be happy.

⁴The ¹mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,

While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.

⁵It is better to ^alisten to the rebuke of a wise man

Than for one to listen to the song of fools.

⁶For as the ¹crackling of ^athorn bushes under a pot,

So is the ^blaughter of the fool;

And this too is futility.

⁷For ^aoppression makes a wise man mad,

And a ^bbribe ¹corrupts the heart.

⁸The ^aend of a matter is better than its beginning;

^bPatience of spirit is better than haughtiness of spirit.

⁹Do not be ^1aeager in your heart to be angry,

For anger resides in the bosom of fools.

¹⁰Do not say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?”

For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.

¹¹Wisdom along with an inheritance is good

And an ^aadvantage to those who see the sun.

¹²For ^awisdom is ¹protection just as money is protection,

But the advantage of knowledge is that ^bwisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.

¹³Consider the ^awork of God,

For who is ^bable to straighten what He has bent?

^14aIn the day of prosperity be happy,

But ^bin the day of adversity consider—

God has made the one as well as the other

So that man will ^cnot discover anything that will be after him.

¹⁵I have seen everything during my ^1alifetime of futility; there is ^ba righteous man who perishes in his righteousness and there is ^ca wicked man who prolongs his life in his wickedness.

¹⁶Do not be excessively ^arighteous and do not ^bbe overly wise. Why should you ruin yourself?

¹⁷Do not be excessively wicked and do not be a fool. Why should you ^adie before your time?

¹⁸It is good that you grasp one thing and also not ¹let go of the other; for the one who ^afears God comes forth with ²both of them.

^19aWisdom strengthens a wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

²⁰Indeed, ^athere is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

²¹Also, do not ¹take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant ^acursing you.

²²For ¹you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others.

²³I tested all this with wisdom, and I said, “I will be wise,” ^abut it was far from me.

²⁴What has been is remote and ^aexceedingly ¹mysterious. ^bWho can discover it?

²⁵I ^1adirected my ²mind to know, to investigate and to seek wisdom and an explanation, and to know the evil of folly and the foolishness of madness.

²⁶And I discovered more ^abitter than death the woman whose heart is ^bsnares and nets, whose hands are chains. ^cOne who is pleasing to God will escape from her, but ^dthe sinner will be captured by her.

²⁷“Behold, I have discovered this,” says the Preacher, “adding one thing to another to find an explanation,

²⁸which ¹I am still seeking but have not found. I have found one man among a thousand, but I have not found a ^awoman among all these.

²⁹“Behold, I have found only this, that ^aGod made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.”

Chapter 8

Obey Rulers

¹Who is like the wise man and who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom ^aillumines ¹him and causes his ^bstern face to ²beam.

²I say, “Keep the ¹command of the king because of the ^aoath ²…