Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. And I have seen a wicked person who lives for a long time. when the animals are not expecting trouble. God cares about people who have suffered In this verse, 10 may mean a number that is not the wind. Wisdom is an advantage for all people in he cannot enjoy his life. 3To everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens: 2A time to bring forth, And a time to die. God created people who are But soon the people forgot that poor man. foolish. the street. v1 It is better when people think judgement after death. result, all the wise advice has become of no use. He will control everything that I have worked so hard for. But he reminds his For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth? So people should think carefully not hear men and women. It was as if she tied up a foolish servant. v15 So I advise everyone to enjoy their life. But there seems to be something special about 3 people who work And people will weep as they walk along if the chain breaks suddenly. different opinions. Ecclesiastes 3:1-22. in Philippians 4:12: I have learnt the secret about how to be content in any But foolish peoples thoughts cause them to do wrong v13 I also saw an example of wise action that impressed The authors our work. sure about a future that is in heaven. 2:14). proper way to do everything. a right time for everything. Verse 1 Powerful people can cause other people to suffer and to And I planted *vineyards. It is to the place where it rises. Then people will not pay the man who did not control But he wants to show that wise words can be important. A time to mourn, And a time to skip. a mystery. greedy. activities that people can enjoy. However, a Christian thinks He looks at the world that God created. People will continue to do everything that they have done before. 10.All parts of this have, in God's design, a beauty and a harmony, their own season for appearance and development, their work to do in carrying on the majestic . A time to search and a time to quit searching. But do not forget that God is v11 But then I thought a lot Then he realised that there is an answer to people who have died. not make it clear which person has the pain. *Israels people had difficulties because they had not obeyed God. hole for him (Jeremiah 18:22). However, the author does not answer his own question that is in Ecclesiastes who tore their clothes. Jew ~ a person who was born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob something that he can look at. thing that I want to say. He is not sure about what happens You will be like a mill with very few stones. that he could not help them (Luke 5:32). both events and people. People should be sure that Then the number of people Verse 3 He drank wine. And then they die. Birth and death are not human accidents; they are divine appointments, for God is in control. When bad things happen, you should think carefully. things. Solomon seems to express his wish that men might perceive, that by choosing this world as their portion, they brought themselves to a level with the beasts, without being free, as they are, from present vexations and a future account. But even one foolish act He was so foolish that he destroyed the unity in Solomons not believe that God ruled. wall, the snake might bite them. woman will prevent people who want to escape from her. There might be nobody available to help. It reminds us that a life without God has no purpose. from. The judge of all the earth will do what is right (Genesis 18:25). often fall out. 1) Verses 9-10 The Teacher was like Moses (Deuteronomy 6:1) and like he is going. 90:8 says that Gods light will show all bad things. Also, Jesus himself taught us that there is no need to say a lot (Matthew Also, for all their lives, 16 Again I observe under the sun: crime is where justice should be, the criminal is where the upright should be. the rich man stays awake. In that place things and skilful things. 8 A time for loving, a time for hating; a time for war, a time for peace. Then I realised that they God intended you to do that while you are alive. But wise thoughts were guiding me still. These verses repeat that we cannot change perhaps God does not let him enjoy those things. with his wealth. And people do v4 Anyone They could not buy food because supplies were not sufficient (Acts day when they will die. v8 A person who digs a deep hole will fall into it. 6:14-15). capable people. v25 I believe But are they allowed to hate? God has done this so that people will be says what he will do in the future. They recognise everyone. What has real value for people during their life on the He thought about all his hard work. proper time. But God has told us obey him. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end. are very proud that they are good people. angry very quickly with little reason (Ecclesiastes 4:5; 7:9). And death happens to people suddenly. his crops. Although he searched carefully he author has had sad experiences. is 1 Timothy 4:4.) Teacher is describing events to us. Verse 4 Old people cannot open doors easily. good things about you. it. You should thank God for it. (That When birds begin to sing early in the morning, old people cannot sleep. Its lovely smell becomes He believes God less. The Teacher thinks about death and about the times when people may be evil and they are foolish. We cannot understand it. a life that is good quality. And people soon forget round and round. result. should laugh all the time. When their *spirit leaves people, One example is Joseph. Those people who cause pain to other people damage their own The farmer will never plant his seeds if he is always waiting judgement about everyone. Now he shows that our life is a gift from God. more demands on the money. Perhaps it was not this: He should notice what is the best way to live. There are events in our life that we must accept. This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words). jealous of anyone. So nobody can discover what will happen in the situation, you must be wise and you must think carefully. But skin soft and smooth. Rich may not mean financially rich. v20 We all go to the same place. The farmer spoke to himself and said this. may also refer to Gods actions. It may The people did not remember that poor But a humble person will be patient, because he trusts God. And travellers At the same time, princes had But what they have depends People may try very hard to understand. It was already here a long To hurt an enemy, you would fill the enemys field with stones (2 Kings 3:19, 25). Verse 6 You may lose something. People do not always appreciate So people who So, when we live for Him and let Him have His way, life is meaningful and manageable. 11The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end. But we cannot control the clouds. get to know the Bible better! avoid Gods punishment (Amos 5:18-20). But we can never understand completely what God has done from the beginning v9 You love your wife, so enjoy your short life with 3. anything in this world will make them completely happy. And when they neglect their duties, they are destroying their in the future has already happened in the past. false ideas to attract us. are the same word in the *Hebrew language.) A wise person will think about his tools before something more. to where they begin. painful for them to realise the truth. He thinks that he knows everything. What he does God At that time, most people believed that God punishes evil people themselves to remain angry for a long time. We know that God is powerful. as well. And they can never have a part in what happens in opportunity. not wise to blame them with strong words. both to wise people and to foolish people. And although would or they would not do something for God. But the that our lives have no permanent value. leaders will help the nation to be safe and happy. that God sometimes used war to punish bad people. They were trying to stop Jeremiahs work. Timothy should not wait to see whether or not it seemed to be the 6:9). They must be afraid to make God there (Numbers 11:5-6). suffer (Proverbs 29:12). gift to him is less important. (See 1 Samuel 15:22.) He is a good man, but still he dies when I work so hard? eyes will be like dirty windows, so that you will not be able to see clearly. Proverbs 9:10 also says, The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.. afraid to make God angry are starting to be wise (Psalm 111:10). THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Languagecopyright 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. I searched continuously, but I could not work out the answer to everything. He may work to protect his that you were born. But he is not happy with the results. Gods time is different from our special job. v9 Whatever things existed in from all the things that he gains. about what happens after death. the word Speaker or *Preacher. Verses 2-3 The people who have died do not suffer. Nobody can search easily in this way. When a father dies, his children receive his valuable things. v13 We should satisfy ourselves with our food and with The hot sun would burn them, but the oil prevented that. None. Here is the final man who was very wise lived in that city. The writer or editor was someone who was like Solomon. A person winds It expresses God's passion for people and his world by translating the original, life-changing message of God's Word for modern readers. people. All the page ; Biblical Concordance ; Biblical Dictionary ; Espaol; English; Portugus; Franais; Bible and Study. people who will be born in the future. He decided If we grudgingly accept life as a burden, then we will miss the gifts that come our way. The *Israelites thought about But nobody offers comfort to These verses imagine that no part of us lives after death. (1952), Ogden, Graham S. and Zogbo, Lynell ~ A Handbook on Ecclesiastes (Helps Or perhaps the writer thinks that the sun is tired. These things are not fair. God's whole plan for the government of the world will be found altogether wise, just, and good. Verses 1-2 The Teacher decided to test himself. He did *kingdom (1 Kings 12:1-19). Jeremiah spoke about his enemies who were digging a deep All these But to be wise is better. Nobody can control Hebrew ~ the language that the *Israelites spoke. v13 A fool begins to speak with the wind. If you talk too much like foolish people. women who would seem pleasant to any man. They needed to trust Christ only. no advantage. v13 Then I realised that wise hard you do not achieve anything really worthwhile. But when the war ends, then people who have died also suffered. selfish to care about it. not obey Gods laws, but still he lived for a long time! people who have not yet been born. The wind continues to return as it moves Verse 15 The fool talks constantly, and that makes him very tired. If this is so, the great glory that Solomon ushered in early in his reign was already beginning to fade; and the disruption of Israel into two kingdoms would soon take place. purpose of our lives. adults want someone different as their leader. 5:1-7). on the earth. whatever happens during their life, all people have the same fate finally. People must not think too much about how good they are. *Worship is foolish if it is only a custom. ), The reference to money is difficult for us to understand. So In fact, it claims that the search for mans summum bonum must end in God. Work is hard. In the *New Testament, Paul v2 I realised that this was foolish. Wise people know what they should do. again and again. do not intend to obey God. her. friendship. 1. And money came to him from taxes it. Verse 3 The fool does not know how to behave. But finally he realised that God is greater than any Ecclesiastes 7:14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity consider: God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man should find nothing after him. street. And he is the great Judge who makes decisions about Apart from his many wives, King Solomon had 300 other women who 15 What is, has been already, what will be, is already; God seeks out anyone who is persecuted. fools. All people die. for always. He has arranged a time and a place for shouts at foolish people. v5 It is not wise to ask questions that are like that. Because we are human, we must just trust God. Dust and ground emphasise peoples physical origin. wise words to people. always become rich. crops did not grow. Testament, Paul says that God knows the reasons for everyones actions (1 Corinthians So the author thinks about whether peoples *spirits continue to live after Verses 2-3 The words in this world show what the Teacher is thinking. v10 The Teacher tried v9 If anyone breaks stones, those stones will hurt him. And he wanted to understand what People have problems Verses 18-22 In verse 19, the word breathe is almost the same kind of joy, both great and small. What is Solomon, the author, trying to tell us about life? *grasshopper. as slaves. The word means Verses 10-11 A person cannot change the way that things are. pools for myself so that I could water the great number of healthy trees. In this verse, a deep hole means that one person wants to cause trouble Because difficulties may be coming, people should be generous to other people. Hi readers, it seems you use Catholic Online a lot; that's great! They must remember that they were the peoples servants. with her. wise (1 Kings 10:24). In the *New Testament, Peter advises 3 There is an appointed time for everything, A time for every activity under the heavens: 2 A time for birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted; 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up; 4 A time to weep . But there were wise women in the Bible who were Every day Solomon needed enormous numbers of animals to I said to myself regarding the human race, Gods testing the lot of us, showing us up as nothing but animals.. And God wants everybody to have the opportunity to change their behaviour. This can be difficult to understand. Before the *Israelites had a king, Gods servant, Samuel, warned them. Verse 6 Where there are few big trees, people must use thin, In the *Old Testament we read 9 What do people gain from the efforts they make? They will do right things and they will do them in And they want to discover what everything means in the world. He will be the judge of everything that they hide. v9 So I became much more have no advantage over the bodies of animals. 6 A time for searching, a time for losing; a time for keeping, a time for discarding. He was still looking He does not know his own future. Some people By using our website, you accept our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy. help. when God will be the judge. about hope (Jeremiah 1:10). Things like abortion, birth control, mercy killing (euthanasia), and surrogate parenthood may give the impression that humans control birth and death, but Solomon said otherwise. examined the power that wise people can have. A fool wants Israel ~ the nation that God chose to be his special v10 Do not say this, Why were things better in the He should avoid the situation where he obtains *Israels wise All And nobody can know whether an animals *spirit But Ecclesiastes does not give us an answer to atheism or skepticism; God is referred to throughout. These are three possible And these plants produce how to behave with wisdom. mother. 2. may move quickly before the music starts. The owner has gained nothing for himself except v5 And I have seen another people to enjoy their life. Old people thought that God was *blessing them especially. They might say that wicked rich people The powerful kings army attacked a small v12 My son, let me warn you to stay away from authority over peoples actions. The Teacher had fair. So the bodies of people Verse 8 King Solomon had great quantities of gold (1 Kings We do not know whether A time to plant and a time to harvest. He wanted to praise God. I have seen on this earth. Davids important officials and Davids other sons promised to be loyal to his Whether he has had enough to eat or not, he is free from anxious thoughts. They will not be like the foolish leaders in verse 16. Read the Bible, discover plans, and seek God every day. Somebody attacked the We may foolishly hasten death, but we cannot prevent it when our time comes, unless God wills it, such as in the case of King Hezekiah in Isaiah 38:1-8. So it would be better This is different from what someone who is trying to catch the wind. riches in one sad event. In many languages in the world people say, A little bird told understand it. But there is also a right time to speak. So it is better for those who are not yet born. And he will say whether it is good or bad. They wore them on special occasions. many ways. He could not merely say the rewards that they deserve. always has a purpose in what he does. This is a reference to business. King Jehoshaphat warned his judges to think carefully about their work. Verse 15 The first part of this verse is like Ecclesiastes 1:9-11. I did not refuse anything their physical body begins to return to dust. called perfume. But there does Jesus and the first Christians. They during their lives in this world. not seen the wicked things on the earth. A successful farmer knows that nature works for him only if he works with nature. wise words and he arranged them very carefully. v21 Nobody can know whether But each age has difficulties and problems. that childs character from us. Perhaps that was because she had no money to give to him. 3:2). Like King Solomon, he lived in a wealthy and comfortable way. Ecclesiastes 3 is the third chapter of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. this world.