Ecclesiastes 6-9
Skip Heitzig
| Ecclesiastes 6 (NKJV™) | |
| 1 | There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men: |
| 2 | A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor, so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires; yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. This is vanity, and it is an evil affliction. |
| 3 | If a man begets a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, or indeed he has no burial, I say that a stillborn child is better than he-- |
| 4 | for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness. |
| 5 | Though it has not seen the sun or known anything, this has more rest than that man, |
| 6 | even if he lives a thousand years twice--but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to one place? |
| 7 | All the labor of man is for his mouth, And yet the soul is not satisfied. |
| 8 | For what more has the wise man than the fool? What does the poor man have, Who knows how to walk before the living? |
| 9 | Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of desire. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. |
| 10 | Whatever one is, he has been named already, For it is known that he is man; And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he. |
| 11 | Since there are many things that increase vanity, How is man the better? |
| 12 | For who knows what is good for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes like a shadow? Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun? |
| Ecclesiastes 7 (NKJV™) | |
| 1 | A good name is better than precious ointment, And the day of death than the day of one's birth; |
| 2 | 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 take it to heart. |
| 3 | Sorrow is better than laughter, For by a sad countenance the heart is made better. |
| 4 | The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, But the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. |
| 5 | It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise Than for a man to hear the song of fools. |
| 6 | For like the crackling of thorns under a pot, So is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. |
| 7 | Surely oppression destroys a wise man's reason, And a bribe debases the heart. |
| 8 | The end of a thing is better than its beginning; The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. |
| 9 | Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, For anger rests in the bosom of fools. |
| 10 | Do not say, "Why were the former days better than these?" For you do not inquire wisely concerning this. |
| 11 | Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun. |
| 12 | For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it. |
| 13 | Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked? |
| 14 | In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him. |
| 15 | I have seen everything in my days of vanity: There is a just man who perishes in his righteousness, And there is a wicked man who prolongs life in his wickedness. |
| 16 | Do not be overly righteous, Nor be overly wise: Why should you destroy yourself? |
| 17 | Do not be overly wicked, Nor be foolish: Why should you die before your time? |
| 18 | It is good that you grasp this, And also not remove your hand from the other; For he who fears God will escape them all. |
| 19 | Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. |
| 20 | For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin. |
| 21 | Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. |
| 22 | For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others. |
| 23 | All this I have proved by wisdom. I said, "I will be wise"; But it was far from me. |
| 24 | As for that which is far off and exceedingly deep, Who can find it out? |
| 25 | I applied my heart to know, To search and seek out wisdom and the reason of things, To know the wickedness of folly, Even of foolishness and madness. |
| 26 | And I find more bitter than death The woman whose heart is snares and nets, Whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, But the sinner shall be trapped by her. |
| 27 | "Here is what I have found," says the Preacher, "Adding one thing to the other to find out the reason, |
| 28 | Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find: One man among a thousand I have found, But a woman among all these I have not found. |
| 29 | Truly, this only I have found: That God made man upright, But they have sought out many schemes." |
| Ecclesiastes 8 (NKJV™) | |
| 1 | Who is like a wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man's wisdom makes his face shine, And the sternness of his face is changed. |
| 2 | I say, "Keep the king's commandment for the sake of your oath to God. |
| 3 | "Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him." |
| 4 | Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, "What are you doing?" |
| 5 | He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful; And a wise man's heart discerns both time and judgment, |
| 6 | Because for every matter there is a time and judgment, Though the misery of man increases greatly. |
| 7 | For he does not know what will happen; So who can tell him when it will occur? |
| 8 | No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit, And no one has power in the day of death. There is no release from that war, And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it. |
| 9 | All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun: There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt. |
| 10 | Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they were forgotten in the city where they had so done. This also is vanity. |
| 11 | Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. |
| 12 | Though a sinner does evil a hundred times, and his days are prolonged, yet I surely know that it will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him. |
| 13 | But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolong his days, which are as a shadow, because he does not fear before God. |
| 14 | There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are just men to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity. |
| 15 | So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his labor all the days of his life which God gives him under the sun. |
| 16 | When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night, |
| 17 | then I saw all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discover it, yet he will not find it; moreover, though a wise man attempts to know it, he will not be able to find it. |
| Ecclesiastes 9 (NKJV™) | |
| 1 | For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatred by anything they see before them. |
| 2 | All things come alike to all: One event happens to the righteous and the wicked; To the good, the clean, and the unclean; To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice. As is the good, so is the sinner; He who takes an oath as he who fears an oath. |
| 3 | This is an evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thing happens to all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madness is in their hearts while they live, and after that they go to the dead. |
| 4 | But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion. |
| 5 | For the living know that they will die; But the dead know nothing, And they have no more reward, For the memory of them is forgotten. |
| 6 | Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; Nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun. |
| 7 | Go, eat your bread with joy, And drink your wine with a merry heart; For God has already accepted your works. |
| 8 | Let your garments always be white, And let your head lack no oil. |
| 9 | Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun. |
| 10 | Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might; for there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going. |
| 11 | I returned and saw under the sun that--The race is not to the swift, Nor the battle to the strong, Nor bread to the wise, Nor riches to men of understanding, Nor favor to men of skill; But time and chance happen to them all. |
| 12 | For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them. |
| 13 | This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and it seemed great to me: |
| 14 | There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. |
| 15 | Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. |
| 16 | Then I said: "Wisdom is better than strength. Nevertheless the poor man's wisdom is despised, And his words are not heard. |
| 17 | Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools. |
| 18 | Wisdom is better than weapons of war; But one sinner destroys much good." |
New King James Version®, Copyright © 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved.
When we to try to find happiness and fulfillment in this world, we end up discontented and in despair. This is the theme Solomon explored in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Join Pastor Skip Heitzig for this series as he delves into Solomon's search for the purpose of life—which is found only in the Lord.
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