WEBVTT

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Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're

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taking this journey together to read the Bible

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in a year. Today's reading is from the book of

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Ecclesiastes, chapters 1 through 4. Chapter 1.

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The words of the preacher, the son of David,

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king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the

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preacher. Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.

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What prophet has a man from all his labor in

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which he toils under the sun? One generation

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passes away and another generation comes, but

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the earth abides forever. The sun also rises

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and the sun goes down and hastens to the place

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where it arose. The wind goes toward the south

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and turns around to the north. The wind whirls

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about continually and comes again on its circuit.

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All the rivers run into the sea, yet the sea

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is not full. To the place from which the rivers

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come, there they return again. All things are

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full of labor, man cannot express it. The eye

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is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled

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with hearing. That which has been is what will

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be. That which is done is what will be done.

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And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there

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anything of which it may be said, See, this is

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new? It has already been in ancient times before

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us. There is no remembrance of former things,

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nor will there be any remembrance of things that

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are to come by those who will come after. I,

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the preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.

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And I set my heart to seek and search out by

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wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven.

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This burdensome task God has given to the sons

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of man, by which they may be exercised. I have

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seen all the works that are done under the sun,

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and indeed all is vanity and grasping for the

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wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight,

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and what is lacking cannot be numbered. I communed

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with my heart, saying, Look, I have attained

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greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all

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who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has

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understood great wisdom and knowledge, and I

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set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness

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and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping

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for the wind, for in much wisdom is much grief,

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and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

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Chapter 2 I said in my heart, Come now, I will

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test you with mirth. therefore enjoy pleasure

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but surely this also is vanity i said of laughter

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madness and of mirth what does it accomplish

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i searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh

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with wine while guiding my heart with wisdom

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and how to lay hold on folly till i might see

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what was good for the sons of men to do under

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heaven all the days of their lives I made my

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works great. I built myself houses and planted

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myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards,

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and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

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I made myself water pools from which to water

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the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male

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and female servants and had servants born in

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my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds

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and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before

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me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold

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and special treasures of kings and of the provinces.

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I acquired male and female singers, the delights

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of the sons of men, and musical instruments of

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all kinds. So I became great and excelled more

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than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also

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my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes

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desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold

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my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced

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in all my labor, and this was my reward from

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all my labor. Then I looked on all the works

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that my hands had done, and on the labor in which

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I had toiled. And indeed all was vanity and grasping

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for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.

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Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness

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and folly. For what can the man do who succeeds

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the king? Only what he has already done. Then

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I saw that wisdom excels folly, as light excels

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darkness. The wise man's eyes are in his head,

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but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself

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perceived that the same event happens to them

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all. So I said in my heart, As it happens to

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the fool, it also happens to me. And why was

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I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, This

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also is vanity, for there is no more remembrance

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of the wise than of the fool forever, since all

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that now is will be forgotten in the days to

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come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool.

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Therefore I hated life, because the work that

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was done under the sun was distressing me, for

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all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then

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I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under

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the sun, because I must leave it to the man who

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will come after me. And who knows whether he

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will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over

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all my labor in which I toiled, and in which

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I have shown myself wise under the sun. This

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also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart and

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despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled

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under the sun. For there is a man whose labor

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is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. yet he

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must leave his heritage to a man who has not

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labored for it this also is vanity and a great

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evil for what has man for all his labor and for

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the striving of his heart with which he has toiled

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under the sun for all his days are sorrowful

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and his work burdensome even in the night his

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heart takes no rest this also is vanity nothing

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is better for a man than that he should eat and

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drink and that his soul should enjoy good in

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his labor This also I saw was from the hand of

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God, for who can eat or who can have enjoyment

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more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge

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and joy to a man who is good in his sight. But

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to the sinner he gives the work of gathering

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and collecting, that he may give to him who is

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good before God. This also is vanity and grasping

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for the wind. Chapter 3 To everything there is

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a season, a time for every purpose under heaven,

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a time to be born and a time to die. A time to

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plant and a time to pluck what is planted. A

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time to kill and a time to heal. A time to break

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down and a time to build up. A time to weep and

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a time to laugh. A time to mourn and a time to

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dance. A time to cast away stones and a time

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to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time

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to refrain from embracing. A time to gain and

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a time to lose. A time to keep and a time to

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throw away. A time to tear and a time to sew.

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A time to keep silence and a time to speak. A

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time to love and a time to hate. A time of war

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and a time of peace. What prophet has the worker

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from that in which he labors? I have seen the

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God -given task with which the sons of men are

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to be occupied. He has made everything beautiful

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in its time. Also he has put eternity in their

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hearts, except that no one can find out the work

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that God does from beginning to end. I know that

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nothing is better for them than to rejoice and

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to do good in their lives, and also that every

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man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of

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all his labor. It is the gift of God. I know

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that whatever God does, it shall be forever.

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Nothing can be added to it and nothing taken

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from it. God does it that men should fear before

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him. That which is has already been, and what

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is to be has already been. And God requires an

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account of what is past. Moreover, I saw under

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the sun, in a place of judgment, wickedness was

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there, and in a place of righteousness, iniquity

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was there. I said in my heart, God shall judge

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the righteous and the wicked, for there is a

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time there for every purpose and for every work.

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I said in my heart, concerning the condition

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of the sons of men, God tests them, that they

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may see that they themselves are like animals.

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For what happens to the sons of men also happens

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to animals. One thing befalls them, As one dies,

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so dies the other. Surely they all have one breath.

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Man has no advantage over animals, for all is

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vanity. All go to one place, all are from the

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dust, and all return to dust. Who knows the spirit

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of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the

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spirit of the animal, which goes down to the

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earth? So I perceive that nothing is better than

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that a man should rejoice in his own works, for

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that is his heritage. For who can bring him to

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see what will happen? After him. Chapter 4 Then

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I returned and considered all the oppression

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that is done under the sun. And look, the tears

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of the oppressed, but they have no comforter.

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On the side of their oppressors there is power,

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but they have no comforter. Therefore I praise

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the dead who were already dead, more than the

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living who are still alive. Yet better than both

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is he who has never existed, who has not seen

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the evil work that is done under the sun. Again

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I saw that for all toil and every skillful work

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a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is

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vanity and grasping for the wind. The fool folds

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his hands and consumes his own flesh. Better

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a handful with quietness than both hands full

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together with toil and grasping for the wind.

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Then I returned and I saw vanity under the sun.

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There is one alone without companion. He has

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neither son nor brother. Yet there is no end

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to all his labors. Nor is his eye satisfied with

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riches, but he never asks, For whom do I toil

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and deprive myself of good? This also is vanity

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and a grave misfortune. Two are better than one,

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because they have a good reward for their labor.

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For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

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But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for

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he has no one to help him up. Again, if two lie

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down together, they will keep warm. But how can

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one be warm alone? though one may be overpowered

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by another two can withstand him and a threefold

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cord is not quickly broken better a poor and

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wise youth than an old and foolish king who will

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be admonished no more for he comes out of prison

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to be king although he was born poor in his kingdom

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i saw all the living who walk under the sun they

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were with the second youth who stands in his

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place there was no end of all the people over

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whom he was made king Yet those who come afterward

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will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is

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vanity and grasping for the wind. I hope you

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enjoyed today's reading as much as I did, and

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I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow to

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continue on our journey. God bless you and have

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a great day.