ECCLESIASTES; OR, THE PREACHER. About 210-200, B. C. E. (In order to understand the growth of moral ideas in the life of Israel it is necessary to include Ecclesiastes (Hebrew Koheleth) in the study of Jewish Ethics, though it diverges widely in spirit and tendency from the rest of bibical teachings. In spite of an apparent refined materialism, Ecclesiastes insists upon the fulfillment of one's moral duties as the sole aim of man, while the lack of religious enthusiasm is compensated by sound maxims of practical wisdom.) I. 1. THE words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher; vanity of vanities, all 3. is vanity. What profit hath man of all his labour wherein he laboureth under the sun? 4. One generation goeth, and another generation cometh; and the 5. earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteh to his place where he ariseth. The wind goeth 6. toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it turneth about continually in its course, and the wind returneth again to 7. its circuit. All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea is not full; unto the place whither the rivers go, thither they go again. 8. All things are full of weariness; man cannot utter it; the eye 9. is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. That which hath been is that which shall be; and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing 10. under the sun. Is there a thing whereof men say, See this is new? it hath been already, in the ages which were before us. 11. There is no remembrance of the former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of the latter things that are to come, among those that shall come after. 12. I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I ap 13. plied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven: it is a sore travail that God hath 14. given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, 15. all is vanity and a striving after wind. That which is crooked cannot be made straight and that which is wanting cannot be 16. numbered. I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I have gotten me great wisdom above all that were before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart hath had great experience of wisdom 17. and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also was a 18. striving after wind. For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. 19. I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; "therefore enjoy" pleasure: and behold, this also was vanity. 20. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? 21. I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men that 22. they should do under the heaven all the days of their life. I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards; I made me gardens and parks, and planted trees in them 23. of all kinds of fruit; I made me pools of water, to water them from the forest where trees were reared: I bought men-servants 24. and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all that were before 25. me in Jerusalem: I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I got me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons 26. of men. So I was great, and increased more than all that were 27. before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom stood by me. And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them: I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of 28. my labour: and this was my portion from all my labor. 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 striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun. 29. And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness and folly, for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that 30. which hath been already done. Then I saw that wisdom ex31. celleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. The wise man's 32. eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also was vanity. For of the wise man, 33. even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been already forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool! So I hated 34. life; because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me: for all is vanity and striving after wind. 35. For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving 36. wherein he laboreth under the sun? For all his days are but sorrow, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity. 37. There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also 38. I saw, that it is from the hand of God. 39. who can have enjoyment afar from him? For who can eat, or For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and heap up, that he 40. may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. II. 1. TO EVERY thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose 2. under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time 3. to wound and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to 4. seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, 5. and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men 6. to be exercised therewith. He hath made every thing beautiful in its time: also he hath set the world in their heart, yet so that 7. man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the be8. ginning even to the end. I know that there is nothing better for them, than to rejoice, and to do good so long as they live. 9. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good 10. in his labour, is the gift of God. 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 hath done it, that men should fear before him. 11. And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, 12. that injustice was there. I said in my heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time. 13. for every purpose and every work. I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that 14. they may see that they of themselves are but as beasts. Where fore I saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should 15. rejoice in his works; for that is his portion; for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him? 16. Then I returned and saw 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 17. was power, but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are 18. yet alive; yea, better than them both did I esteem him which hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun. 19. Then I saw all labour and every skilful work, that for this a man is envied of his neighbour. This also is vanity and a striving 20. after wind. The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth 21. his own flesh. Better is an handful with quietness, than two handfuls with labour and striving after wind. 22. Then I returned and saw vanity under the sun. There is one that is alone, and he hath not a second; yea, he hath neither son nor brother; yet is there no end of all his labour, neither are 23. his eyes satisfied with riches. For whom then, saith he, do I labour, and deprive my soul of good? This also is vanity, yea, 24. it is a sore travail. Two are better than one; because they have 25. a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, 26. and hath not another to lift him up. And if a man prevail against him that is alone, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken. 27. Better is a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king 28. who knoweth not how to receive admonition any more. For out of prison the one came forth to be king; the other, even in his 29. kingdom was born poor. I saw all the living which walk under sun, that they were with the youth, the second, that stood up in his stead. 30. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of. God; for to draw nigh to hear is better than to give the sacrifice of fools: for 31. they know not that they do evil. Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thy heart be hasty to utter any thing before God; for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy 32. words he few. For a dream cometh with a multitude of busi33. ness; and a fool's voice with a multitude of words. When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; 34. pleasure in fools: pay that which thou vowest. for he hath no Better is it that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay. 35. If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not at the matter: for One higher than the high regardeth; and there 36. be One higher than they. Moreover the profit of the earth is for all the king himself is served by the field. 37. He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he 38. that loveth abundance with increase: this also is vanity. When goods increase, they are increased that eat them and what advantage is there to the owner thereof, saving the beholding of 39. them with his eyes? The sleep of a labouring man is sweet whether he eat little or much: but the fullness of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. 40. There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt: and those riches perish by evil of adventure; and if he hath a son, there 41. is nothing in his hand. As he came forth naked shall he go again as he came, and shall take nothing for his labour, which 42. he may carry away in his hand. And this also is a grievous evil, that in all points as he came, so shall he go: and what profit 43. hath he that he laboureth for the wind? All his days also he eateth in darkness, and he is sore vexed and hath sickness and wrath. 44. Behold, that which I have seen to be good and to be comely is for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy good in all his labour, wherein he laboureth under the sun, all the days of his life 45. which God hath given him: for this is his portion. 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 46. in his labour; this is the gift of God. For he shall not much remember the days of his life; because God answereth him in the joy of his heart. 47. There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is heavy upon men: a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honour, so that he lacketh 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. III. A GOOD name is better than precious ointment; and the day 2. of deah than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. 3. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the coun4. tenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of 5. mirth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a |