ECCLESIASTES THE PREACHER.!

THE BOOK OF ECCLESIASTES WAS THE WORK OF A UNKNOWN SECOND CENTURY AUTHOR. WHO WROTE UNDER THE NAME OF "KOHELETH," OR THE PREACHER. IN HIS VIEW OF THE WORLD THE DOUBTS OF JOB. HAVE DEEPENED TO AN ALL-EMBRACING PESSIMISM AS TO THE VALUE OF EXISTENCE. BECAUSE OF THIS GENERAL TONE, THE WORK HAS  ALWAYS BEEN THE FAVORITE BOOK OF THE "BIBLE" AMONG UNBELIEVERS. TO OFFSET THE TENDENCY SO HOSTILE TO THE MAIN SPIRIT OF JEWISH LITERATURE, LATER EDITORS INCORPORATED IT IN THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. BUT IN SPITE OF THESE EDITORIAL EFFORTS THE TENOR OF THE WORK REMAINS SO HERETICAL THAT WITHOUT ITS ERRONEOUS  ASCRIPTION TO KING SOLOMON  IT WOULD HARDLY HAVE FOUND A PLACE AMONG THE JEWISH SACRED  SCRIPTURES OR BEEN INCLUDED IN THE CHRISTIAN BIBLE. ( HERE WE GO)

 THE WORDS OF THE PREACHER, THE SON OF DAVID, KING IN JERUSALEM.
VANITIES OF VANITIES, SAITH THE PREACHER, ALL IS VANITY. WHAT PROFIT HATH MAN OF ALL HIS LABOR WHEREIN HE LABORETH UNDER THE SUN?
ONE GENERATION GOETH, AND AND ANOTHER COMETH; AND THE EARTH ABIDETH FOR EVER. THE SUN ALSO RISETH, AND THE SUN GOETH DOWN, AND HASETH TO THE PLACE WHERE HE ARISETH. THE WIND GOETH TOWARD THE SOUTH, AND TURNETH ABOUT UNTO THE NORTH; IT TURNETH ABOUT CONTINUALLY IN ITS COURSE, AND THE WIND RETURNETH AGAIN TO ITS CIRCUITS. ALL THE RIVERS RUN INTO THE SEA, YET THE SEA IS NOT FULL; UNTO THE PLACE WHITHER THE RIVERS GO, THITHER THEY GO AGAIN.
ALL THINGS ARE FULL OF WEARINESS; MAN CANNOT UTTER: THE EYE IS NOT SATISFIED WITH SEEING, NOR THE EAR FILLED WITH HEARING.
THAT WHICH HAS BEEN IS THAT WHICH SHALL BE; AND THAT WHICH HAD BEEN DONE IS THAT WHICH SHALL BE DONE. AND THERE IS NO NEW THING UNDER THE SUN. IS THERE A THING WHEREOF MEN SAY, " SEE THIS IS NEW"?
 IT HATH BEEN ALREADY, IN THE AGES WHICH WERE BEFORE US.
THERE IS NO REMEMBRANCE  OF THE FORMER GENERATIONS; NEITHER SHALL THERE BE ANY REMEMBRANCE OF THE LATTER GENERATIONS THAT ARE TO COME,
AMONG THOSE THAT SHALL COME AFTER.

 I THE PREACHER WAS KING OVER ISRAEL IN JERUSALEM. AND I APPLIED MY HEART TO SEEK AND SEARCH OUT WISDOM CONCERNING ALL THAT IS DONE UNDER HEAVEN. IT IS A SORE TRAVAIL THAT GOD HAS GIVEN TO THE SONS OF MEN TO BE EXERCISED THEREWITH. I HAVE SEEN ALL THE WORKS DONE UNDER THE SUN; AND BEHOLD, ALL IS VANITY AND A STRIVING  AFTER THE WIND THAT WHICH IS CROOKED CANNOT BE MADE STRAIGHT.  AND THAT WHICH IS WANTING CANNOT BE NUMBERED. I HAVE COMMUNED WITH MY OWN HEART, SAYING , "LO, I HAVE GOTTEN ME GREAT WISDOM  ABOVE ALL THAT WERE BEFORE ME IN JERUSALEM: YEA, MY HEART HAS HAD GREAT EXPERIENCE OF WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE. AND I APPLIED MY HEART TO KNOW WISDOM, AND TO KNOW MADNESS AND FOLLY.  I PERCEIVED THIS WAS CHASING AFTER THE WIND.  FOR IN MUCH WISDOM IS MUCH GRIEF. AND HE THAT INCREASED KNOWLEDGE INCREASETH SORROW.. I SAID IN MY HEART, " GO TO NOW, I WILL PROVE THEE WITH MIRTH; THEREFORE  ENJOY PLEASURE" AND, BEHOLD, THIS ALSO WAS VANITY, I SAID OF LAUGHTER, " IT IS MAD." AND OF MIRTH,"WHAT DOETH IT?" I SEARCHED IN MINE HEART HOW TO CHEER MY FLESH WITH WINE, YET MY HEART YET GUIDING  ME WITH WISDOM, AND HOW TO LAY HOLD ON FOLLY, TILL I MIGHT SEE WHAT IT WAS GOOD FOR THE SONS OF MAN THAT THEY SHOULD DO UNDER THE HEAVEN ALL THE DAYS OF THEIR LIFE.. I MADE ME GREAT WORKS; I BUILDED ME HOUSES;  I PLANTED ME VINEYARDS ; I MADE ME GARDENS AND PARKS, I PLANTED TREES IN THEM OF ALL KIND OF FRUITS.  SO I WAS GREAT, AND INCREASED MORE THAN ALL.

                             TO EVERYTHING THERE IS A SEASON
                              AND A TIME TO  EVERY PURPOSE UNDER HEAVEN
                              A TIME TO BE BORN, AND A TIME TO DIE
                        A TIME TO PLANT, AND A TIME TO PLUCK UP THAT WHICH IS PLANTED;
                        A TIME TO KILL, A TIME TO HEAL;
                        A TIME TO BREAK DOWN, AND A TIME TO BUILD UP;
                        A TIME TO WEEP, AND A TIME TO LAUGH
                        A TIME TO MOURN, AND A TIME TO DANCE
                A TIME TO CAST AWAY STONES, AND A TIME TO GATHER STONES TOGETHER
                A TIME TO EMBRACE, AND A TIME TO REFRAIN FROM EMBRACING;
                        A TIME TO SEEK, AND A TIME TO LOSE.
                        A  TIME TO SEEK,  A TIME TO LOSE;
                        A TIME TO KEEP, AND A TIME TO CAST AWAY;
                        A TIME TO REND A TIME TO SEW;
                        A TIME TO KEEP SILENCE, AND A TIME TO SPEAK
                        A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO HATE;
                         A TIME FOR WAR, AND A TIME FOR PEACE;
HE THAT LOVETH SILVER SHALL NOT BE SATISFIED;
THERE  IS GRIEVOUS EVIL WHICH I HAVE SEEN UNDER THE SUN, NAMELY, RICHES
 KEPT BY THE OWNER THEREOF TO HIS HURT: AND THOSE RICHES PERISH BY EVIL
 ADVENTURE; AND IF HE HAD BEGOTTEN A SON, THERE IS NOTHING IN HIS HAND
AS HE CAME FORTH OUT OF HIS MOTHER'S WOMB, NAKED SHALL HE GO AGAIN AS
HE CAME, AND SHALL TAKE NOTHING FOR HIS LABOUR
BEHOLD, THAT WHICH I HAVE SEEN TO BE GOOD AND TO BE COMELY. IS FOR ONE TO
EAT AND TO DRINK, AND TO ENJOY GOOD IN ALL LABOR.
WISDOM IS A STRENGTH TO THE WISE MAN MORE THAN TEN RULERS WHICH ARE IN THE CITY.
"BEHOLD, THIS HAVE I FOUND SAITH THE PREACHER, LAYING ONE THING TO ANOTHER, TO FIND OUT ACCOUNT, WHICH MY SOULS STILL SEEKETH, BUT I HAVE NOT FOUND BEHOLD ONLY, THIS IS ONLY HAVE I FOUND, THAT GOD MADE MAN UPRIGHT; BUT THEY HAVE SOUGHT OUT MANY INVENTIONS.
WHO IS THE WISE MAN?  AND WHO KNOWETH THE INTERPRETATION OF A THING?
A MAN'S WISDOM MAKETH HIS FACE TO SHINE, AND THE HARDNESS OF HIS FACE IS CHANGED.
THEN I COMMANDED MIRTH, BECAUSE A MAN HATH NO BETTER THING UNDER THE SUN THAN TO  EAT, AND TO DRINK, AND TO BE MERRY: FOR THAT SHALL ABIDE 
WITH HIM IN HIS LABOR ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE WHICH GOD HAS HATH GIVEN HIM UNDER THE SUN.
 WHEN I APPLIED MY HEART TO KNOW WISDOM, AND TO SEE THE BUSINESS THAT IS DONE UPON THE EARTH ( FOR ALSO THERE IS THAT NEITHER DAY NOR NIGHT SEETH
 SLEEP WITH HIS EYES). THEN I BEHELD ALL THE WORK OF GOD, THAT MAN CANNOT FIND OUT THE WORK THAT IS DONE UNDER THE SUN.: BECAUSE HOWEVER MUCH A MAN LABOUR TO SEEK IT OUT, YET HE SHALL NOT FIND IT; YEA MOREOVER, THOUGH A WISE MAN THINK TO KNOW IT, YET SHALL HE NOT BE ABLE TO FIND IT.
FOR ALL THIS I LAID TO MY HEART, EVEN TO EXPLORE ALL THIS; THAT THE RIGHTEOUS, AND THE WISE, AND THEIR WORKS, ARE IN THE HAND OF GOD. ALL THINGS COME ALIKE TO ALL THERE IS ONE EVENT TO THE RIGHTEOUS AND TO THE WICKED TO THE GOOD AND TO THE CLEAN AND TO THE UNCLEAN.
 GO THY WAY, EAT THY BREAD WITH JOY, DRINK THY WINE WITH A MERRY HEART; FOR GOD HAS ALREADY ACCEPTED THY WORKS. LET THY GARMENTS BE ALWAYS WHITE; LIVE JOYFULLY WITH THE WIFE WHOM THOU LOVEST ALL THE DAYS OF THE LIFE OF THY VANITY: WHICH HE HAS GIVEN THEE UNDER THE SUN FOR THAT IS THY PORTION IN LIFE, AND IN THY LABOR WHATSOEVER THY HAND SHALL DO, DO IT WITH THY MIGHT; FOR THERE IS NO WORK, NOR DEVICE, NOR KNOWLEDGE, NOR WISDOM, IN THE GRAVE WHITHER THOU GOEST
I RETURNED, AND SAW UNDER THE SUN THAT THE RACE IS NOT TO THE SWIFT, NOR THE BATTLE TO THE STRONG, NEITHER YET BREAD TO THE WISE, NOR YET RICHES TO MEN OF UNDERSTANDING., NOR YET FAVOR TO MEN OF SKILL.
TRULY THE LIGHT IS SWEET, AND A PLEASANT THING FOR THE EYES TO BEHOLD THE SUN. ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DAYS OF DARKNESS, FOR THERE ARE MANY.
ALL THAT COMETH IS VANITY. REMEMBER THE CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH.
 VANITY OF VANITIES, SAITH THE PREACHER: ALL IS VANITY. AND FURTHER, BECAUSE THE PREACHER WAS WISE, HE STILL TAUGHT THE PEOPLE KNOWLEDGE; YEA, HE PONDERED, AND SOUGHT OUT, AND SET IN ORDER MANY PROVERBS EVEN WORDS OF TRUTH.
THIS IS THE ND OF THE MATTER; FEAR GOD, AND KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS; FOR THIS IS THE WHOLE DUTY OF MAN. FOR GOD SHALL BRING EVERY WORK INTO JUDGMENT, WITH EVERY HIDDEN THING, WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR WETHER IT BE EVIL