For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,
but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth –
only to give it to the one who pleases God.
This task of the wicked is futile – like chasing the wind!
They will go into caves in the rocky cliffs
and into holes in the ground,
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth.
Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.
You men, how long will you try to turn my honor into shame?
How long will you love what is worthless
and search for what is deceptive? (Selah)
“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,
“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”
For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same:
As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath.
There is no advantage for humans over animals,
for both are fleeting.
For the religion of these people is worthless.
They cut down a tree in the forest,
and a craftsman makes it into an idol with his tools.