Through the Bible in a Year — 2026-161

0:00There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it is great upon mankind. There is a man to whom God will give to him wealth and possessions in honor, and he is not lacking with respect to his soul, from all things that he desires. And God does not give authority to him to eat from it, because a stranger will eat it. This is vanity and a grievous illness. If a man begets a hundred children, and will live many years and a great number, is what will be the days of his years, and his soul will not be satisfied with goodness. Indeed he has no burial. I said, a miscarriage is better than he, for it came in vanity, and it goes in darkness, and in darkness its name will be covered. Indeed it did not see the sun and did not know. This one has more rest than he. And if he lived recurrences of a thousand years, and he did not see goodness, do not all

1:00things go to one place. All toil of mankind is for their mouth. Indeed their soul will not be satisfied, for what surplus has the wise over the fool, since the needy knows to walk before life. Better is the sight of the eyes than going on spirit. Indeed this is vanity and preference of spirit. If anything is happened, it has already been named, and it is known what human beings are, and they will not be able to dispute with those stronger than they. For many words are multiplying vanity, what surplus has one. For who knows what is good for mortals in their life, the number of the days of their life of vanity, and they pass them in shadow. For who will tell them what will be after them under the sun? A good name is better than good anointing oil, and the day of death is better than the day of one's birth. It is better to go to a house of mourning than that to go to a house of drinking, because

2:02this is the end of everyone, and the living will give it to his heart. Better is anger than laughter, for by a bad countenance the heart will be made good. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, and the heart of fools is in the house of birth. It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise than a man hearing the song of fools. For as the sound of thorns under a cauldron, so is the laughter of fools. Indeed this is vanity. For extortion turns a wise person mad, and it will destroy his heart of courage. Better is the end of words than its beginning. Better is a patient person than one proud in spirit. Do not be hasty in your spirit to become angry. For anger will rest in the bosom of fools. Do not say, why did it happen that the former days were better than these? For it is not with wisdom that you have asked concerning this. Wisdom is good with distribution of land, and a surplus to those who see the sun.

3:05For wisdom in its shade is like the shade of money, and a surplus of knowledge of wisdom will give life to the one who has it. Under the works of God, who will be able to set an order, whomever God has made crooked. In a day of prosperity live in prosperity, and in a day of misfortune consider, indeed the one in proportion to the other God has made concerning speech, so that mortals may not find anything after them. I saw all things in my days of vanity. There are righteous people perishing in their righteousness, and there are impious people remaining in their wickedness. Do not be very righteous, and do not be excessively wise, lest you be horrified. Do not be very ungodly, and do not become hard so that you should not die when it is not your time. It is good that you hold on to the one. Indeed do not let your hand go from the other, for the one who fears God will go forth in all things.

4:07Wisdom will give help to the wise more than ten having authority over those who are in the city. For as to humanity, there is not a just person in the earth who will do good and will not sin. Indeed to all the words that people will speak, do not give your heart, so that you do not hear your slave cursing you. For frequently he will do you evil, and many times he will bring hurt to your heart as indeed you have cursed others. All these things I tested by wisdom, I said I will become wise, and it was far from me, far beyond what was, and a deep depth, who will find it. I, in fact, my heart, went full circle to know and to examine, and seek wisdom and a reckoning, and to know the folly of the impious and hardness and madness. And I find more bitter than death, the woman who was hunted prey, and her heart is hunting nets. Her hands are fetters, one who is good before God will be delivered from her, and one

5:09who is sinning will be taken by her. See this I found said the ecclesiast, adding one to one to find the calculation, which my soul still sought but did not find. One man from a thousand I found, and a woman along all these I did not find. Albeit see, this I found what God made, man upright, and they themselves have searched out many schemes. Who knows the wise, and who knows the interpretation of what is said. A person's wisdom will illuminate his face, and one without shame in his face will be hated. Keep a king's utterance, and do not be hasty about the expression of a sacred oath. From his presence you will go. Do not stand still because of painful words, for all that he wants he will do. Just as a king will speak having authority, and who will say to him, what will you do? Whoever keeps a command will not know anything harmful, and the heart of the wise knows the

6:12right time of decision. For to every matter there is a right time and decision, for the knowledge of mortals is great upon them. For they do not know what is going to be, for who will tell them just how it will be. There is no one having authority over the spirit to restrain the spirit, and there is no authority over the day of death. There is no discharge from the battle, and impiety will not deliver those at home with it. All this I observed, and I gave my heart to every work that is done under the sun. Things that one person exercised authority over another to hurt them. Then I saw the impious carried into tombs, they went from the holy place, and they were praised in the city that they did so. Indeed this is vanity. There is a refutation of those doing evil there does not happen quickly. On account of this the heart of humans was fully convinced in them to do evil. He who sinned did what was evil from then, and from a length to it.

7:15For indeed I know that it will be well with those who fear God, so that they should fear before Him, and it will not be well for the impious, and they will not prolong days in shadow, who do not stand in fear before God. There is vanity that is done on earth, that there are righteous people that it overtakes them according to the work of the impious. And there are ungodly that it overtakes them according is the work of the righteous. I said that indeed this is vanity, and I praised enjoyment, for there is no good for people under the sun, except to eat and to drink and to enjoy themselves, and this will be there with them and their toil, through the days of their life, that God has given to them under the sun. When I gave my heart to no wisdom, and to see the preoccupation that is done on earth, because indeed by day and by night there is no seeing sleep with one's eyes, then I saw all the works of God, that no one will be able to find out the work that is done

8:18under the sun. As much as one may toil to search out, he will not find, indeed, whatever the wise say they know, they will not be able to find out. For all this I gave to my heart, and my heart saw all this, how the righteous and the wise and their deeds are in the hand of God. Indeed love and indeed hate, there is no person in the know. All things are before them. Vanity is in all things. One eventuality is for the righteous and the impious, for the good and for the evil, for the clean and for the unclean, for the one who sacrifices, and for the one who does not sacrifice. As are the good, so are the sinners, so are those who swear just as those who fear in oath. This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that one eventuality is for all. Indeed the heart of humans was filled with evil. Madness is in their heart while they live, and after them they go to the dead.

9:20Or who are they who have a part with all the living? There is hope, because a living dog is better than a dead lion. For the living will know that they will die, and the dead are not knowing anything. They have no more reward, because their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love and their hate and their jealousy have already perished, and they have no further portion for ever, in all that is done under the sun. Go, eat your bread with enjoyment, and drink your wine with the good heart. For God has already approved your works. At every time let your garments be white. Do not let oil be lacking upon your head. See life with the wife whom you loved, all the days of your life of vanity, that are given to you under the sun. All your days of vanity, because it is your portion in your life, and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. Where your hand finds to do, as is your might, do, for there is no work in reasoning and

10:21knowledge and wisdom in Hades, where you are going. I turn and I saw under the sun that the race is not to the nimble, nor the battle to the strong, nor indeed bread to the wise, nor indeed riches to the intelligent, nor indeed favor to those who are perceptive, because time and chance will happen to them all. Nor indeed no one knows their time, like fish being taken with a pernicious net, and like birds being caught in a snare. Like them mortals are snared at a time of ruin, when it suddenly falls upon them. Indeed this I saw as wisdom under the sun, and it was great according to me. There was a little city and a few men in it, and a great king would come against it and surround it, and would build a great palisated camp against it. When he would find in it a poor wise man, and he himself will deliver the city by his wisdom, and no one remembered that poor man, and I said, better is wisdom than might, and

11:24the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are not being heard. The words of the wise and rest are heard above, the shouting of those exercising authority and follies. One is better than instruments of war, and one sinner will destroy much good. Deadly flies will make a preparation of aromatic oil give off a foul odor. A little wisdom is of more worth than honor derived from great folly. The heart of the wise is to his right, and the heart of the fool is to his left. Indeed when a fool walks on the road his heart will be lacking, and all he will consider is foolishness. If the spirit of the one holding authority rises against you, do not leave your place, for healing will put a stop to great offenses. There is an evil which I saw under the sun, like an involuntary offense, which proceeded from the one in authority. A fool was allowed in great heights, and the rich will sit in a low place.

12:27I have seen slaves upon horses and rulers walking on the ground like slaves. The one digging a hole will fall into it, and the one who demolishes a wall a snake will bite him. One who lifts stones will be hurt by them. One who splits trees will be endangered by them. If the iron tool fails, he himself has also troubled his face, and he will put power into his efforts. And the extra of being a man is skill. If a snake bites when there is no whispering, in fact there is no surplus to the charmer. The words of the mouth of the wise are grace, and the lips of the fool will plunge him into the sea. The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness, and the last of his speech is wicked madness, and the fool multiplies words, no one knows what has happened. And what will be after them? Who can tell them? The toil of fools will weary them. One who did not know how to go into the city. Alas for you, O city whose king is young, and your rulers eat in the early morning.

13:33Happy your you, O land whose king is the son of free men, and your rulers at the proper time will eat in strength, and they will not be ashamed. Through hesitations the roofing will be debased, and in idleness of hands the house will drip. They make bread for laughter, wine gladdens the living, and will obey money in all respects. Feed in your consciousness do not curse the king, and in your bedrooms do not curse the rich. For a bird of heaven will carry off your voice, and one having wings will bring back word.