Life // Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 6:7+12
7 We work to feed our appetites; Meanwhile our souls go hungry.
12 And who knows what's best for us as we live out our meager smoke-and-shadow lives? And who can tell any of us the next chapter of our lives?

Ecclesiastes 9:7-10
Seize life! Eat bread with gusto, Drink wine with a robust heart. Oh yes--God takes pleasure in your pleasure! Dress festively every morning. Don't skimp on colors and scarves. Relish life with the spouse you love Each and every day of your precarious life. Each day is God's gift. It's all you get in exchange For the hard work of staying alive. Make the most of each one! Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily! This is your last and only chance at it, For there's neither work to do nor thoughts to think In the company of the dead, where you're most certainly headed.

Ecclesiastes 11: 1-5
1 Be generous: Invest in acts of charity.
Charity yields high returns.

² Don’t hoard your goods; spread them around.
Be a blessing to others. This could be your last night.

^3-4 When the clouds are full of water, it rains.
When the wind blows down a tree, it lies where it falls.
Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work.
Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life.

⁵ Just as you’ll never understand
    the mystery of life forming in a pregnant woman,
So you’ll never understand
    the mystery at work in all that God does.

Ecclesiastes 11: 7f

Oh, how sweet the light of day,
And how wonderful to live in the sunshine!
Even if you live a long time, don’t take a single day for granted.
Take delight in each light-filled hour,
Remembering that there will also be many dark days
And that most of what comes your way is smoke.

Ecclesiastes 12:1f

^1-2 Honor and enjoy your Creator while you’re still young,
Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes,
Before your vision dims and the world blurs
And the winter years keep you close to the fire. 

 

Ecclesiastes 12: 6-8
6 Life, lovely while it lasts, is soon over.
Life as we know it, precious and beautiful, ends.
7 The body is put back in the same ground it came from.
The spirit returns to God, who first breathed it.

⁸ It’s all smoke, nothing but smoke.
The Quester says that everything’s smoke.

Ecclesiastes 12: 11-13
11 The words of the wise prod us to live well.
They’re like nails hammered home, holding life together.
They are given by God, the one Shepherd.

^12-13 But regarding anything beyond this, dear friend, go easy. There’s no end to the publishing of books, and constant study wears you out so you’re no good for anything else. The last and final word is this:

Fear God.
Do what he tells you.

 (I've used "The Message"-Bible for all the bible verses)