Study Desk

I also gathered silver and gold for myself, treasures from kings and other areas. I had male and female singers and all the women a man could ever want.

Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself; I did not miss any pleasure I desired. I was pleased with everything I did, and this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work.

I thought to myself, "What happens to a fool will happen to me, too, so what is the reward for being wise?" I said to myself, "Being wise is also useless."

The wise person and the fool will both die, and no one will remember either one for long. In the future, both will be forgotten.

I hated all the things I had worked for here on earth, because I must leave them to someone who will live after me.

Someone else will control everything for which I worked so hard here on earth, and I don't know if he will be wise or foolish. This is also useless.

People can work hard using all their wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but they will die, and other people will get the things for which they worked. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. This is also unfair and useless.

What do people get for all their work and struggling here on earth?

There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.

There is a time to look for something and a time to stop looking for it. There is a time to keep things and a time to throw things away.

There is a time to love and a time to hate. There is a time for war and a time for peace.

So I realize that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live.

I said to myself, God has planned a time for every thing and every action, so he will judge both good people and bad.

Maybe so, but I say it is better to be content with what little you have. Otherwise, you will always be struggling for more, and that is like chasing the wind.

I saw a man who had no family, no son or brother. He always worked hard but was never satisfied with what he had. He never asked himself, "For whom am I working so hard? Why don't I let myself enjoy life?" This also is very sad and useless.

If one falls down, the other can help him up. But it is bad for the person who is alone and falls, because no one is there to help.

Don't let your words cause you to sin, and don't say to the priest at the Temple, "I didn't mean what I promised." If you do, God will become angry with your words and will destroy everything you have worked for.

I have seen what is best for people here on earth. They should eat and drink and enjoy their work, because the life God has given them on earth is short.

I have seen something else wrong here on earth that causes serious problems for people.

People have only a few useless days of life on the earth; their short life passes like a shadow. Who knows what is best for them while they live? Who can tell them what the future will bring?