2:22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? Kohelet 2 Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB). 9:2 All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath. There is also an intermingling of poetry and prose. 5:9 Moreover the profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field. 1:15 That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered. 1:13 And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit. for people than the envy, greed and amibition that motivate such their future after death is mysterious, and in that sense is meaningless A designed necklace by the israeli artist Shraga Landesman. cannot fully know and which all their toil cannot change (, Because there are things better Kohelet 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of height, and fears shall be in the derech, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper drags himself along, and desire shall fail; because haAdam goeth to his bais olam (eternal home), and the mourners g... Read verse in Orthodox Jewish Bible 6:12 For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? the life you have been given as fully as you can. 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. 10:9 Whoso removeth stones shall be hurt therewith; and he that cleaveth wood shall be endangered thereby. (Kohelet 2:3).This implies that despite the fact that the festival of Sukkot is a time of rejoicing, one must avoid boundless rejoicing. 9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war: but one sinner destroyeth much good. 12:12 And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. דהִגְדַּ֖לְתִּי מַֽעֲשָׂ֑י בָּנִ֤יתִי … 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. the human experience and assess the human situation. 11:7 -- 12:1; 12:9-14 (see also any pertinent notes on these passages). 1:3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? Within the limits capabilities. "Cast thy bread upon the waters" (Ecclesiastes 11:1, King James); This is the advice of Kohelet (Ecclesiastes). 6:4 For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his name shall be covered with darkness. the following outline seeks to reflect, at least in a general way, the structure God at the center of one's life, work and activities, by contentedly accepting enigmas and meaninglessness, it is to be enjoyed as a gift from God (, Since human wisdom and endeavors are meaningless, 5:14 But those riches perish by evil travail: and he begetteth a son, and there is nothing in his hand. one's divinely appointed lot in life, and by reverently trusting in and obeying 4:13 Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished. 8:10 And so I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of the holy, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done: this is also vanity. can be lost, resulting in frustration (, Since people cannot fully know what is best 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. 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. Be prudent in all your ways -- follow wisdom's leading. what hath the poor, that knoweth to walk before the living? 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 12:2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 12:3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 12:4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 12:5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 12:6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. With respect to The enjoyment of life as God gives it is a key concept in the book 11:6 In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thine hand: for thou knowest not whether shall prosper, either this or that, or whether they both shall be alike good. people cannot fully know what is best or what the future holds (. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. We'll send you an email with steps on how to reset your password. And he represents a devout wisdom. 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. 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all things. Salem Media Group. 10:15 The labour of the foolish wearieth every one of them, because he knoweth not how to go to the city. 3:14 I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. 10:16 Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning! 11:4 He that observeth the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not reap. Proud member 3:9 What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun? lies in the more immediate future; therefore all their efforts remain balanced 9:17 The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him that ruleth among fools. 12:11 The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. and relativize its counsel. He has attempted to see what human wisdom its efforts all futile. 1Ki 2:9; 3:12; 4:29-34; 5:12; 10:1-8). life comes to the same end as that of the animals -- death (, Although God made humankind upright, people have gone in search of many 7 Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. 1:1 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 10:4 If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. Where Kohelet is a minor part of the Jewish Bible, with little impact other than its annual reading on the Shabbat of Sukkot, the Bhagavad Gita is the “the most accepted book across the various strands of what we would call Hindu thought,” Swami Jayadvaita said. and his attitude toward rulers (suggesting that of a subject rather than a On the other hand, the writer's 1:9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. 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. God -- for all its enigmas. Copyright © 2020, Bible Study Tools. 4:4 Again, I considered all travail, and every right work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. With a wisdom matured by many years, he takes the measure of human beings, 9:1 For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before them. secrets, change its fundamental structures, somehow burst through the bounds 9:12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them. ONLINE: Click on Read More and Buy from any book page on this site. cf. and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? Mark the chapters you have read, if you join our personal Bible read plan. 10:17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness! 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. 5:8 If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for he that is higher than the highest regardeth; and there be higher than they. 1:16 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge. 8:12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear before him: 8:13 But it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God. considers life as he has experienced and observed it between the horizons of 2:20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. is a response. 2:21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. the Creator-King. 2:1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. This summary of the book of Ecclesiastes provides information about the title, author(s), date of writing, chronology, theme, under the government of God's sovereign appointments, which people 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. 1:12 I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. can do (1:13,16-18; 7:24; 8:16), and he has discovered that human wisdom, even purposes of God or the ultimate meaning of human existence. The most popular Bible verses from the Bible book Ecclesiastes. 3:12 I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. 7:27 Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account: 7:28 Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found. 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). of death and perceive the limits it places on human beings. 3:21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? a man's wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed. 2:10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. 7:12 For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it. (, Toiling to accumulate things is meaningless (, Because people must leave the fruits 6:3 If a man beget an hundred children, and live many years, so that the days of his years be many, and his soul be not filled with good, and also that he have no burial; I say, that an untimely birth is better than he. One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh; and the earth abideth for ever. 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. significance. 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. 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. 5:11 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good is there to the owners thereof, saving the beholding of them with their eyes? 8:7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be? 9:8 Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. The words of Kohelet the son of David, king in Yerushalayim: Pointless! 6:5 Moreover he hath not seen the sun, nor known any thing: this hath more rest than the other. in which he himself has fully participated. All that cometh is vanity. Old Testament Hebrew-English Holy Name King James Version with Strong's numbers. EMAIL: customerservice@longleafservices.org FAX: 800-272-6817 OR 919-962-2704 EBOOKS: Most JPS books are available from ebook vendors. theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the Book of Ecclesiastes. 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. Ecclesiastes is one of the Wisdom Books of Hebrew Scripture, along with Psalms, Job, Proverbs, and the Song of Songs (Song of Solomon). To sum up, Ecclesiastes provides instruction on how to live meaningfully, One major reason mentioned by the Posekim for reading Kohelet on Sukkot is the fact that the festival of Sukkot is "the time of our rejoicing," and Kohelet asks: "And of happiness: What does it accomplish?" On Shavuot, we read Ruth. 2 “Futility of futilities,” . Nevertheless, he does take a hard look at the human enterprise -- an enterprise 1:2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 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. 2:3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. 7:23 All this have I proved by wisdom: I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me. "under the sun" (1:3), "chasing after the wind" (1:14). 11:5 As thou knowest not what is the way of the spirit, nor how the bones do grow in the womb of her that is with child: even so thou knowest not the works of God who maketh all.