Category Archives: Ecclesiastes

The Quester 1 These are the words of the Quester, David’s son and king in Jerusalem: 2-11 Smoke, nothing but smoke. [That’s what the Quester says.] There’s nothing to anything—it’s all smoke. What’s there to show for a lifetime of work, a lifetime of working your fingers to the bone? One generation goes its way, […]

1-3 I said to myself, “Let’s go for it—experiment with pleasure, have a good time!” But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke. What do I think of the fun-filled life? Insane! Inane! My verdict on the pursuit of happiness? Who needs it? With the help of a bottle of wine and all the […]

There’s a Right Time for Everything 1 There’s an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth: 2-8 A right time for birth and another for death, A right time to plant and another to reap, A right time to kill and another to heal, A right time to destroy […]

Slow Suicide 1-3 Next I turned my attention to all the outrageous violence that takes place on this planet—the tears of the victims, no one to comfort them; the iron grip of oppressors, no one to rescue the victims from them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead instead of the living who […]

God’s in Charge, Not You 1 Watch your step when you enter God’s house. Enter to learn. That’s far better than mindlessly offering a sacrifice, Doing more harm than good. 2 Don’t shoot off your mouth, or speak before you think. Don’t be too quick to tell God what you think he wants to hear. […]

Things Are Bad 1-2 I looked long and hard at what goes on around here, and let me tell you, things are bad. And people feel it. There are people, for instance, on whom God showers everything—money, property, reputation—all they ever wanted or dreamed of. And then God doesn’t let them enjoy it. Some stranger […]

Don’t Take Anything for Granted 1 A good reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. 2 You learn more at a funeral than at a feast— After all, that’s where we’ll end up. We might discover something from it. 3 Crying is better than laughing. […]

1 There’s nothing better than being wise, Knowing how to interpret the meaning of life. Wisdom puts light in the eyes, And gives gentleness to words and manners. No One Can Control the Wind 2-7 Do what your king commands; you gave a sacred oath of obedience. Don’t worryingly second-guess your orders or try to […]

1-3 Well, I took all this in and thought it through, inside and out. Here’s what I understood: The good, the wise, and all that they do are in God’s hands—but, day by day, whether it’s love or hate they’re dealing with, they don’t know. Anything’s possible. It’s one fate for everybody—righteous and wicked, good […]

1 Dead flies in perfume make it stink, And a little foolishness decomposes much wisdom. 2 Wise thinking leads to right living; Stupid thinking leads to wrong living. 3 Fools on the road have no sense of direction. The way they walk tells the story: “There goes the fool again!” 4 If a ruler loses […]