Pleasure Is Meaningless
1I said to myself, “Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless. 2“Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “And what can pleasure do for me?” 3I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in a foolish way. But wisdom was still guiding my mind. I wanted to see what was good for people to do on earth during their short lives.
4So I started some large projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards. 5I made gardens and parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made lakes to water groves of healthy trees. 7I bought male and female slaves. And I had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem ever had before. 8I stored up silver and gold for myself. I gathered up the treasures of kings and their kingdoms. I got some male and female singers. I also got many women for myself. Women delight the hearts of men. 9I became far more important than anyone in Jerusalem had ever been before. And in spite of everything, I didn’t lose my wisdom.
10I gave myself everything my eyes wanted.
There wasn’t any pleasure that I refused to give myself.
I took delight in everything I did.
And that was what I got for all my work.
11But then I looked over everything my hands had done.
I saw what I had worked so hard to get.
And nothing had any meaning.
It was like chasing the wind.
Nothing was gained on this earth.
Wisdom and Foolish Pleasure Are Meaningless
12I decided to think about wisdom.
I also thought about foolish pleasure.
What more can a new king do?
Can he do anything more than others have already done?
13I saw that wisdom is better than foolishness,
just as light is better than darkness.
14The eyes of a wise person see things clearly.
A person who is foolish lives in darkness.
But I finally realized that death catches up
with both of them.
15Then I said to myself,
“What happens to a foolish person will catch up with me too.
So what do I gain by being wise?”
I said to myself,
“That doesn’t have any meaning either.”
16Like a foolish person, a wise person won’t be remembered very long.
The days have already come when both of them have been forgotten.
Like a person who is foolish,
a wise person must die too!
Work Is Meaningless
17So I hated life. That’s because the work done on this earth made me sad. None of it has any meaning. It’s like chasing the wind. 18I hated everything I had worked for on earth. I’ll have to leave all of it to someone who lives after me. 19And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Either way, they’ll take over everything on earth I’ve worked so hard for. That doesn’t have any meaning either. 20So I began to lose hope because of all my hard work on this earth. 21A person might use wisdom, knowledge and skill to do their work. But then they have to leave everything they own to someone who hasn’t worked for it. That doesn’t have any meaning either. In fact, it isn’t fair. 22What do people get for all their hard work on earth? What do they get for all their worries? 23As long as they live, their work is nothing but pain and sorrow. Even at night their minds can’t rest. That doesn’t have any meaning either.
24A person can’t do anything better than eat, drink and be satisfied with their work. I’m finally seeing that those things also come from the hand of God. 25Without his help, who can eat or find pleasure? 26God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness to the person who pleases him. But to a sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth. Then the sinner must hand it over to the one who pleases God. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.
Ang Kasayahan ay Walang Kabuluhan
1Sinubukan kong magpakasaya sa mga layaw ng buhay. Pero nakita kong wala rin itong kabuluhan. 2Kamangmangan ang sobrang pagtawa at ang pagpapakasaya ay wala ring kabuluhan. 3Sinubukan kong magpakasaya sa pag-inom ng alak. Kahit na marunong ako, sinubukan kong gumawa ng kamangmangan. Naisip ko lang na baka iyon ang pinakamabuting gawin ng tao sa maikling buhay niya dito sa mundo.
4Gumawa ako ng mga dakilang bagay: Nagpagawa ako ng mga bahay at nagtanim ng mga ubas. 5Nagpagawa ako ng mga taniman at pinataniman ko ito ng sari-saring puno na namumunga. 6Nagpagawa ako ng mga imbakan ng tubig para patubigan ang mga pananim. 7Bumili ako ng mga lalaki at babaeng alipin, at may mga alipin din ako na ipinanganak sa aking bahay. At ako ang may pinakamaraming kawan ng hayop sa lahat ng naging mamamayan ng Jerusalem. 8Nakaipon ako ng napakaraming ginto, pilak at iba pang mga kayamanang galing sa mga hari at mga lugar na aking nasasakupan. Marami akong mang-aawit, lalaki man o babae at marami rin akong mga asawa2:8 mga asawa: Hindi malinaw ang ibig sabihin nito sa Hebreo. – ang kaligayahan ng isang lalaki. 9Ako ang pinakamayaman at pinakamarunong na taong nabuhay sa buong Jerusalem.
10Nakukuha ko ang lahat ng magustuhan ko. Ginawa ko ang lahat ng inakala kong makapagpapaligaya sa akin. Nasiyahan ako sa lahat ng pinaghirapan ko. Ito ang gantimpala sa lahat ng pagsusumikap ko. 11Pero nang isipin kong mabuti ang lahat ng ginawa at pinaghirapan ko, naisip ko na walang kabuluhan ang lahat ng pinagsikapan ko rito sa mundo. 12Ano pa ba ang magagawa ng susunod na hari? Ano pa nga ba, kundi iyong nagawa na rin noong una.
Ang Karunungan at Kamangmangan ay Walang Kabuluhan
Sinubukan ko ring ihambing ang karunungan at ang kamangmangan. 13At nakita kong mas mabuti ang karunungan kaysa sa kamangmangan, gaya ng liwanag na mas mabuti kaysa sa kadiliman. 14Alam ng marunong ang patutunguhan niya, ngunit ang hangal ay lumalakad sa kadiliman. Pero nalaman ko ring pareho lang silang mamamatay. 15Kaya sinabi ko sa aking sarili, “Ang sinapit ng mangmang ay sasapitin ko rin. Kaya anong kabutihan ang mapapala ng pagiging marunong ko? Wala talaga itong kabuluhan!” 16Lahat tayo, marunong man o mangmang ay pare-parehong mamamatay at makakalimutan.
Walang Kabuluhan ang Pagsusumikap
17Kaya kinamuhian ko ang buhay, dahil kahirapan ang dulot ng lahat ng ginagawa rito sa mundo. Ang lahat ng ito ay walang kabuluhan, para ka lang humahabol sa hangin. 18Kinaiinisan ko ang lahat ng pinaghirapan ko dito sa mundo, dahil maiiwan ko lang ang mga ito sa susunod sa akin. 19At sino ang nakakaalam kung marunong siya o mangmang? Maging ano man siya, siya pa rin ang magmamay-ari ng lahat ng pinaghirapan ko ng buong lakas at karunungan. Wala rin itong kabuluhan! 20Kaya nanghinayang ako sa lahat ng pinaghirapan ko rito sa mundo. 21Dahil kahit magsikap ka gamit ang buo mong talino, isip at kakayahan, iiwan mo rin ang lahat ng pinaghirapan mo sa taong hindi naghirap para sa mga bagay na ito. Ito man ay wala ring kabuluhan at hindi makatarungan. 22Kaya ano ang makukuha ng tao sa lahat ng pagsusumikap niya rito sa mundo? 23Lahat ng pinagsumikapan niya sa buong buhay niyaʼy makapagpapasama lang ng kanyang kalooban. Kaya kahit sa gabi ay hindi siya makatulog. Wala rin itong kabuluhan!
24Ang pinakamagandang gawin ng tao ay kumain, uminom at pakinabangan ang mga pinaghirapan niya. Nalaman ko na galing ito sa Dios, 25dahil paano natin makakain at mapapakinabangan ang mga pinaghirapan natin kung hindi ito ibibigay ng Dios? 26Dahil ang taong nagbibigay-lugod sa Dios ay binibigyan niya ng karunungan, kaalaman at kagalakan. At ang makasalanan ay binibigyan ng Dios ng trabaho upang mag-ipon ng kayamanan para ibigay sa taong nagbibigay-lugod sa Dios. Kaya lahat ng pagsisikap ng makasalanan ay walang kabuluhan. Para siyang humahabol sa hangin.
