Ecclesiastes 1; Ecclesiastes 2; Ecclesiastes 3; 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

Ecclesiastes 1

1 The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2 "Absolute futility," says the Teacher. "Absolute futility. Everything is futile."

3 What does a man gain for all his efforts he labors at under the sun?

4 A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.

5 The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, [it returns] to its place where it rises.

6 Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles.

7 All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full. The streams are flowing to the place, and they flow there again.

8 All things are wearisome; man is unable to speak. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.

9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.

10 Can one say about anything, "Look, this is new"? It has already existed in the ages before us.

11 There is no memory of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no memory among those who follow [them].

12 I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.

13 I applied my mind to seek and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.

14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.

15 What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.

16 I said to myself, "Look, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge."

17 I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.

18 For with much wisdom is much sorrow; as knowledge increases, grief increases.

Ecclesiastes 2

1 I said to myself, "Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure and enjoy what is good." But it turned out to be futile.

2 I said about laughter, "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?"

3 I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life with wine and how to grasp folly-my mind still guiding me with wisdom-until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

4 I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.

6 I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.

7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.

8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men.

9 Thus, I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.

10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.

11 When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He will do what has already been done.

13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.

14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.

15 So I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?" And I said to myself that this is also futile.

16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool?

17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

18 I hated all my work at which I labored under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

20 So I began to give myself over to despair concerning all my work I had labored at under the sun.

21 For there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it. This too is futile and a great wrong.

22 For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors with under the sun?

23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

24 There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and to enjoyhis work. I have seen that even this is from God's hand.

25 For who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from Him?

26 For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

Ecclesiastes 3

1 There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot;

3 a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build;

4 a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

5 a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;

6 a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away;

7 a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;

8 a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What does the worker gain from his struggles?

10 I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied.

11 He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life.

13 It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.

14 I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of Him.

15 Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed.

16 I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.

17 I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work."

18 I said to myself, "This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals."

19 For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals, for everything is futile.

20 All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?

22 I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities, because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?

2 Corinthians 11:16-33

16 I repeat: no one should consider me a fool. But if [you do], at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little.

17 What I say in this matter of boasting, I don't speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.

18 Since many boast from a human perspective, I will also boast.

19 For you gladly put up with fools since you are so smart!

20 In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits you in the face.

21 I say this to [our] shame: we have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares [to boast]-I am talking foolishly-I also dare:

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I.

23 Are they servants of Christ? I'm talking like a madman-I'm a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, near death many times.

24 Five times I received from the Jews 40 lashes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the depths of the sea.

26 On frequent journeys, [I faced] dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on the sea, and dangers among false brothers;

27 labor and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and lacking clothing.

28 Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches.

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

30 If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses.

31 The eternally blessed One, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus, knows I am not lying.

32 In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas 40), a Nabatean Arab king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me,

33 so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.