Daily Text and Bible Reading: Sunday, July 27 [Press play below]

1.1 The words of the congregator, the son of David, the king in Jerusalem.
1.2 “The greatest futility!” says the congregator, “The greatest futility! Everything is futile!”
1.3 What does a person gain from all his hard work At which he toils under the sun?
1.4 A generation is going, and a generation is coming, But the earth remains forever.
1.5 The sun rises, and the sun sets; Then it hurries back to the place where it rises again.
1.6 The wind goes south and circles around to the north; Round and round it continuously circles; the wind keeps making its rounds.
1.7 All the streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full. To the place from which the streams flow, there they return so as to flow again.
1.8 All things are wearisome; No one can even speak of it. The eye is not satisfied at seeing; Nor is the ear filled from hearing.
1.9 What has been is what will be, And what has been done will be done again; There is nothing new under the sun.
1.10 Is there anything of which one may say, “Look at this—it is new”? It already existed from long ago; It already existed before our time.
1.11 No one remembers people of former times; Nor will anyone remember those who come later; Nor will they be remembered by those who come still later.
1.12 I, the congregator, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
1.13 I set my heart to study and explore with wisdom everything that has been done under the heavens—the miserable occupation that God has given to the sons of men that keeps them occupied.
1.14 I saw all the works that were done under the sun, And look! everything was futile, a chasing after the wind.
1.15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, And what is lacking cannot possibly be counted.
1.16 Then I said in my heart: “Look! I have acquired great wisdom, more than anyone who was before me in Jerusalem, and my heart gained a great deal of wisdom and knowledge.”
1.17 I applied my heart to knowing wisdom and to knowing madness and to knowing folly, and this too is a chasing after the wind.
1.18 For an abundance of wisdom brings an abundance of frustration, So that whoever increases knowledge increases pain.

2.1 Then I said in my heart: “Come and let me try out pleasure and see what good comes.” But look! that too was futility.
2.2 I said about laughter, “It is madness!” And about pleasure, “What use is it?”
2.3 I explored with my heart by indulging myself with wine, all the while maintaining my own wisdom; I even embraced foolishness to find out what was the best thing for humans to do during their few days of life under the heavens.
2.4 I undertook great works. I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.
2.5 I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted in them all sorts of fruit trees.
2.6 I made pools of water for myself, to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.
2.7 I acquired male and female servants, and I had servants born in my household. I also acquired much livestock—cattle and flocks—more than any of my predecessors in Jerusalem.
2.8 I accumulated silver and gold for myself, the treasures of kings and of provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, as well as what brings great pleasure to the sons of men—a woman, yes, many women.
2.9 So I grew great and surpassed anyone prior to me in Jerusalem. And my wisdom remained with me.
2.10 I did not deny myself anything that I desired. I did not withhold from my heart any sort of pleasure, for my heart was joyful because of all my hard work, and this was my reward for all my hard work.
2.11 But when I reflected on all the works that my own hands had done and on all the hard work that I had toiled to accomplish, I saw that everything was futile, a chasing after the wind; there was nothing of real value under the sun.
2.12 Then I turned my attention to wisdom and madness and folly. (For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.)
2.13 And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, just as there is an advantage to light over darkness.
2.14 The wise one has his eyes in his head; but the stupid one is walking in darkness. I have also come to realize that there is one outcome that befalls all of them.
2.15 Then I said in my heart: “What happens to the stupid one will also happen to me.” What, then, did I gain by becoming excessively wise? So I said in my heart: “This too is futility.”
2.16 For there is no lasting memory either of the wise one or of the stupid one. In the days to come, everyone will be forgotten. And how will the wise one die? Along with the stupid one.
2.17 So I came to hate life, because everything being done under the sun seemed distressing to me, for everything was futile, a chasing after the wind.
2.18 I came to hate all that I had worked so hard for under the sun, because I must leave it behind for the man coming after me.
2.19 And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take control over all the things I spent great effort and wisdom to acquire under the sun. This too is futility.
2.20 So I began to despair in my heart over all the hard work at which I had toiled under the sun.
2.21 For a man may work hard, guided by wisdom and knowledge and skill, but he must hand over his portion to a man who did not work for it. This too is futility and a great tragedy.
2.22 What does a man really gain from all his hard work and ambition that drives him to work hard under the sun?
2.23 For during all his days, his occupation brings pain and frustration, and even at night his heart does not rest. This too is futility.
2.24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in his hard work. This too, I have realized, is from the hand of the true God,
2.25 for who eats and who drinks better than I do?
2.26 To the man who pleases him he gives wisdom and knowledge and rejoicing, but to the sinner he gives the occupation of gathering and merely collecting to give to the one who pleases the true God. This too is futility, a chasing after the wind.

3.1 There is an appointed time for everything, A time for every activity under the heavens:
3.2 A time for birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what was planted;
3.3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up;
3.4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to wail and a time to dance;
3.5 A time to throw stones away and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
3.6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away;
3.7 A time to rip apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak;
3.8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
3.9 What does the worker gain from all his efforts?
3.10 I have seen the occupation that God has given to the sons of men to keep them occupied.
3.11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has even put eternity in their heart; yet mankind will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.
3.12 I have concluded that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during their life,
3.13 also that everyone should eat and drink and find enjoyment for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.
3.14 I have come to know that everything the true God makes will endure forever. There is nothing to add to it and nothing to subtract from it. The true God has made it this way, so that people will fear him.
3.15 Whatever happens has already happened, and what is to come has already been; but the true God seeks what has been pursued.
3.16 I have also seen this under the sun: In the place of justice there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there was wickedness.
3.17 So I said in my heart: “The true God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every activity and every action.”
3.18 I also said in my heart about the sons of men that the true God will test them and show them that they are like animals,
3.19 for there is an outcome for humans and an outcome for animals; they all have the same outcome. As the one dies, so the other dies; and they all have but one spirit. So man has no superiority over animals, for everything is futile.
3.20 All are going to the same place. They all come from the dust, and they all are returning to the dust.
3.21 Who really knows whether the spirit of humans ascends upward, and whether the spirit of animals descends down to the earth?
3.22 And I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to find enjoyment in his work, because that is his reward; for who can enable him to see what will happen after he is gone?

4.1 Again I turned my attention to all the acts of oppression that go on under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, and there was no one to comfort them. And their oppressors had the power, and there was no one to comfort them.
4.2 And I congratulated the dead who had already died rather than the living who were still alive.
4.3 And better off than both of them is the one who has not yet been born, who has not seen the distressing deeds that are done under the sun.
4.4 And I have seen how much effort and skillful work spring from rivalry between people; this too is futility, a chasing after the wind.
4.5 The stupid one folds his hands while his flesh wastes away.
4.6 Better is a handful of rest than two handfuls of hard work and chasing after the wind.
4.7 I turned my attention to another example of futility under the sun:
4.8 There is a man who is all alone, without any companion; he has no son or brother, but there is no end to all his hard work. His eyes are never satisfied with riches. But does he ask himself, ‘For whom am I working hard and depriving myself of good things’? This too is futility and a miserable occupation.
4.9 Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their hard work.
4.10 For if one of them falls, the other can help his partner up. But what will happen to the one who falls with no one to help him up?
4.11 Moreover, if two lie down together, they will stay warm, but how can just one keep warm?
4.12 And someone may overpower one alone, but two together can take a stand against him. And a threefold cord cannot quickly be torn apart.
4.13 Better is a poor but wise child than an old but stupid king, who no longer has enough sense to heed a warning.
4.14 For he went out from prison to become king, although in that one’s kingship he was born poor.
4.15 I considered all those alive who walk about under the sun, as well as how it goes with the young successor who stands up in the other’s place.
4.16 Although there is no end to all his supporters, those who come later will not be happy with him. This too is futility, a chasing after the wind.