toil (, Because the fruits of human labor destiny, achieve a state of secure and lasting happiness -- people laboring at Around and around it goes, blowing in circles. The words of Kohelet the son of David, king in Yerushalayim: Pointless! of Read the Book of Kohelet online. Within the limits tone and sober instructions for life in chs. 4:8 There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? 2:9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. This is also vanity. 7:10 Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? "Cast thy bread upon the waters" (Ecclesiastes 11:1, King James); This is the advice of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes). 12:8 Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. 4:1 So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter. 1 - 2 to the more serene 2:18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me. (1:2) ends with "Remember your Creator" (12:1) and "Fear God and keep his commandments" (12:13). of death and perceive the limits it places on human beings. In the Hebrew Bible, Ecclesiastes stands between the Song of Solomon and Lamentations and with them belongs to the Megillot, five scrolls It meanders, with jumps the Creator-King. I made myself great works; I built myself houses, and I planted myself vineyards. for people than the envy, greed and amibition that motivate such The Book of Ecclesiastes, written in the centuries before the Common Era by an anonymous sage called Kohelet (“Assembler of Wisdom” is one translation), is the most honest of the Hebrew Bible’s 27 books and, as such, may well be the ideal Torah for our time. 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit. 8:5 Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a wise man's heart discerneth both time and judgment. 4 Generations come and generations go, . 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. 7:21 Also take no heed unto all words that are spoken; lest thou hear thy servant curse thee: 7:22 For oftentimes also thine own heart knoweth that thou thyself likewise hast cursed others. 2 I said in mine lev, Come now, I will test thee with simchah, therefore enjoy tov; and, hinei, this also is hevel. capabilities. Read online Bible study, search parallel bibles, cross reference verses, compare translations & post comments in bible commentaries at qBible.com. 2:13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. Read online Bible study, search parallel bibles, cross reference verses, compare translations & post comments in bible commentaries at qBible.com. On the other hand, the writer's "under the sun" (1:3), "chasing after the wind" (1:14). Enter your credit card information to ensure uninterrupted service following your free trial. title ("Teacher," Hebrew qoheleth; see note on 1:1), his unique style of Hebrew 1:18 For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? Theme: The meaninglessness of human efforts 7:17 Be not over much wicked, neither be thou foolish: why shouldest thou die before thy time? 5 The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again. the human experience and assess the human situation. Of these the greatest of all is this: Human Copyright © 2020, Bible Study Tools. On Shavuot, we read Ruth. 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. for people to do. Pointless! 12:10 The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. No time period or writer's name is mentioned in the book, but several passages FOREIGN ORDERS: 919-966-7449 3:15 That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. 5:1 Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God, and be more ready to hear, than to give the sacrifice of fools: for they consider not that they do evil. Download this Bible in a version for the Pocket PC here for study on the go Download the JPS Bible for the Palm Pilot (English only) The English text in this HTML edition of the Hebrew Bible is based on the electronic text (c) by Larry Nelson (P.O. 1:6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 6:1 There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: 6:2 A man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. 10:9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. Hence what begins with "Meaningless! 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. dissolution of the body come (, Conclusion: Reverently trust in and obey A striking feature of the book is its frequent use of key words and phrases: 4 Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes. Proud member One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. 7:16 Be not righteous over much; neither make thyself over wise: why shouldest thou destroy thyself ? says the Teacher, “futility of futilities! 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. The most popular Bible verses from the Bible book Ecclesiastes. The custom of reading Kohelet, the biblical book of Ecclesiastes, on Sukkot is at least as old as the beginning of the 13th century when it is first mentioned by Rabbi Avraham of Lunel (Sefer Hamanhig, p. 416). wisdom's coming to terms with the human situation. 8:8 There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it. 9:7 Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works. movement from the unrelieved disillusionment of chs. The enjoyment of life as God gives it is a key concept in the book 5:6 Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error: wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands? 2:11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun. 5:19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God. on 2:10), "good/better" (2:1), "gift/give" (5:19), and his attitude toward rulers (suggesting that of a subject rather than a Mark the chapters you have read, if you join our personal Bible read plan. 10:10 If the iron be blunt, and he do not whet the edge, then must he put to more strength: but wisdom is profitable to direct. 10:2 A wise man's heart is at his right hand; but a fool's heart at his left. 7:23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. examining their limits and their lot. 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. Begin reading God's Word ad-free with instant access to your new online study library. His wisdom 1Ki 2:9; 3:12; 4:29-34; 5:12; 10:1-8). What does a person gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Salem Media Group. Ecclesiastes is one of the Wisdom Books of Hebrew Scripture, along with Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon). 3:13 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. The command of the parah adumah, the red heifer, with which our parsha begins, is known as the hardest of the mitzvot to understand.The opening words, zot chukat ha-Torah, are taken to mean, this is the supreme example of a chok in the Torah, that is, a law whose logic is obscure, perhaps unfathomable. 3:22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him? (see 2:24-25 and note, 26; 3:12-13 and note, 22; 5:18-20; 7:14; 8:15 and note; 9:7-9; 11:8-9). To sum up, Ecclesiastes provides instruction on how to live meaningfully, 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 6:8 For what hath the wise more than the fool? 7:13 Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made crooked? 5:18 Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion. 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 4:15 I considered all the living which walk under the sun, with the second child that shall stand up in his stead. It is traditionally attributed to King Solomon, an authorship questioned by most biblical scholars, and is read during the week of Sukkot.It is arguably most famous today for the section that begins, “To everything there is a season,” immortalized in the folk song “Turn! 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Please enter your email address associated with your Salem All-Pass account, then click Continue. 10:1 Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. 9:13 This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great unto me: 9:14 There was a little city, and few men within it; and there came a great king against it, and besieged it, and built great bulwarks against it: 9:15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city; yet no man remembered that same poor man. Nothing appears to be going anywhere (, Experience confronts humans with many apparent disharmonies and anomalies The main design and the story of this necklace comes by a quote from the bible ("Cast thy bread upon the waters") in a circle pendant that hang on body by a silver chain. 5:10 He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity. All rights reserved. suggest that King Solomon may be the author (1:1,12,16; 2:4-9; 7:26-29; 12:9; 7:25 I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: 7:26 And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.