Also, to reward you, I will give you those things that you did not ask for. All your life, you will have riches and honor. There will be no other king in the world as great as you.
Ecclesiastes 6:2 - Easy To Read Version God gives a person great wealth, riches, and honor. That person has everything he needs and everything he could ever want. But then God does not let that person enjoy those things. Some stranger comes and takes everything. This is a very bad and senseless thing. Tuilleadh leaganachaKing James Version (Oxford) 1769 a man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. Amplified Bible - Classic Edition A man to whom God has given riches, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he might desire, yet God does not give him the power or capacity to enjoy them [things which are gifts from God], but a stranger [in whom he has no interest succeeds him and] consumes and enjoys them. This is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility); it is a sore affliction! [Luke 12:20.] American Standard Version (1901) a man to whom God giveth riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacketh nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but an alien eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease. Common English Bible God may give some people plenty of wealth, riches, and glory so that they lack nothing they desire. But God doesn’t enable them to enjoy it; instead, a stranger enjoys it. This is pointless and a sickening tragedy. Catholic Public Domain Version It is a man to whom God has given wealth, and resources, and honor; and out of all that he desires, nothing is lacking to his life; yet God does not grant him the ability to consume these things, but instead a man who is a stranger will devour them. This is emptiness and a great misfortune. Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version A man to whom God hath given riches, and substance, and honour, and his soul wanteth nothing of all that he desireth: yet God doth not give him power to eat thereof, but a stranger shall eat it up. This is vanity and a great misery. |
Also, to reward you, I will give you those things that you did not ask for. All your life, you will have riches and honor. There will be no other king in the world as great as you.
The Lord made Solomon very great. All the people of Israel knew that the Lord was making Solomon great. The Lord gave Solomon the honor that a king should have. No king in Israel before Solomon had such honor.
David died when he was old. David had lived a good, long life. David had many riches and honors. And David’s son Solomon became the new king after him.
God said to Solomon, “You have the right attitude. You didn’t ask for wealth, riches or honor. You didn’t ask for your enemies to be killed. And you didn’t ask for a long life. No, you did not ask for those things. You asked for wisdom and knowledge so you could make wise decisions for my people—the people I chose you to rule over.
Lord, use your power and remove\par bad people from the \{land of\} the living.\par
Our life is like an image \{in a mirror\}. {\cf2\super [239]} \par We rush through life collecting things,\par but we don’t know who will get them\par \{after we die\}.\par
If those people like something they see,\par they go and take it.\par They do whatever they want to do.\par
Then I thought, “Why do people work so hard?” I saw people try to succeed and be better than other people. Why? Because people are jealous. They don’t want other people to have more than they have. This is senseless. It is like trying to catch the wind. {\cf2\super [21]}
A person might not have any family. He might not have a son or even a brother. But that person will continue to work very, very hard. That person is never satisfied with what he has. And he works so hard that he never stops and asks himself, “Why am I working so hard? Why don’t I let myself enjoy my life?” This is also a very bad and senseless thing.
There is a very sad thing that I have seen happen in this life. A person saves his money for the future. {\cf2\super [26]}
That is very sad. He will leave the world the same way he came. So, what does a person gain from his “trying to catch the wind”?
I have seen that this is the best a person can do: A person should eat, drink, and enjoy the work he does during his short life on earth. God has given him these few days, and that is all he has.
If God gives a person wealth, property, and the power to enjoy those things, then that person should enjoy them. That person should accept the things he has and enjoy his work—that is a gift from God.
Why waste your money on something\par that is not real food?\par Why should you work for something\par that does not really satisfy you?\par Listen very closely to me,\par and you will eat the good food.\par You will enjoy the food\par that satisfies your soul.\par
Our land has been turned over to strangers.\par Our houses have been given to foreigners.\par
“King, God Most High made your grandfather {\cf2\super [58]} Nebuchadnezzar a very great and powerful king. God made him very important.
Strangers destroy Ephraim’s strength.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par Gray hairs {\cf2\super [72]} are also sprinkled on Ephraim.\par But Ephraim does not know it.\par
“A nation that you don’t know will take all your crops and all the things you worked for. People will treat you badly and abuse you.
The foreigners living among you will get more and more power. And you will lose the power you had.
When you come to that place, you will see that there is plenty of land. There is plenty of everything there. You will also see that the people are not expecting an attack. Surely God has given that land to us.”