SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 2006

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 7:12

7:12a For wisdom, like money, is a shelter,

Both wisdom and money protect people.
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Wisdom will protect you just like money (Contemporary English Version)
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Wisdom is like money: they both help. (New Century Version)
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We can be protected by being wise just like we can be protected by having a lot of money.

7:12b and the advantage of knowledge is that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

But the long-term benefit to having wisdom is that wisdom preserves the life of those who have it.
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Wisdom keeps you safe—this is the advantage of knowledge. (Good News Translation)
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Knowledge with good sense will keep you alive.

7:12a-b (combined)

Wisdom is like money: they both help. But wisdom is better, because it can save whoever has it. (New Century Version)
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For wisdom provides security, as does money, but the advantage for those who have wisdom is that they are kept safe and sound! (FBV)

© 2006 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 8:15

8:15a So I commended the enjoyment of life,

So I recommend enjoying life. (FBV)
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So I advise everyone to enjoy life. (New International Reader’s Version)

8:15b because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry.

There’s nothing better for us here on earth than to eat and drink and be happy. (FBV)
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A person on this earth canʼt do anything better than eat and drink and be glad. (New International Reader’s Version)
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People should be happy to eat, drink and enjoy their lives. That is the best thing for them to do. (EEB)

8:15c For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

So they will be happy as they work hard every day during the life that God gives them in this world.
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It will help them to enjoy the work that they do during their lives. That is the life which God has given them on the earth. (EEB)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 10:12

10:12a The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious,

Words spoken by the wise bring them favor, (New Revised Standard Version)
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Wise people speak pleasant words.

10:12b but the lips of a fool consume him.

but the words of a fool are self-destructive. (NET Bible)
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But a fool’s own words can hurt the fool badly. (EASY2015)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 12:14

12:14a For God will bring every deed into judgment,

⌊Do this⌋ because God will evaluate everything you do.
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⌊This is⌋ because God will judge everything you do,

12:14b along with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.

⌊He will evaluate⌋ even the things you do in secret, both the good things and the bad things.
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good or bad. ⌊He knows⌋ everything, even the things nobody else knows.

12:14a-b (combined)

Remember that God will judge everything that we do, to see if it is good or it is bad. He knows even the things that we do secretly. (EEB)
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We may do good things. Sometimes we do wrong things. We think that nobody sees us. But God sees the things that we do. And he will ask us to explain the answer to this question: ‘What have we done with our lives here on the earth?’ (EASY2015)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 2:12

Section 2:12-2:17

People who are wise are not satisfied being wise

2:12a Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly;

Next I began to think about being wise and about being stupid and foolish.
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Then I began to think again about being wise, and also about being foolish and doing crazy things. (New Century Version)

2:12b for what more can the king’s successor do

What more could anyone do who comes after the king?
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The next king will not be able to do more

2:12c than what has already been accomplished?

He can only do what the king has already done/concluded.
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than what I have already done.

2:12a-c (combined)

I asked myself, “What can the next king do that I haven’t done?” Then I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and stupidity. (Contemporary English Version)
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Then I decided to think about what it means to be wise or to be foolish or to do crazy things. And I thought about the one who will be the next king. The new king will do the same as the kings before him. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
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Then I decided to think about how a wise person lives. I wanted to think also about how a fool lives. I said to myself, ‘The next king will not do any more than I have done.’ (EASY2015)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 3:18

3:18a I said to myself, “As for the sons of men,

I realized something about people.
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I also thought about humans and understood something.
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When I saw ⌊what⌋ people ⌊do to each other⌋ I told myself,
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I also thought to myself, “Regarding what happens to human beings, (FBV)

3:18b God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”

God is testing us. He wants us to see that ⌊in one way⌋ we are similar to animals.
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God wants people to know that they are like animals. That is why he tests us. (EEB)

3:18a-b (combined)

I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals. (Good News Translation)
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I thought about what people do to each other. And I said to myself, “God wants people to see that they are like animals. (English Easy-to-Read Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 5:12

5:12a The sleep of the worker is sweet, whether he eats little or much,

People who work hard sleep well, regardless of whether they have eaten a full meal or not.
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A man who has worked all day will sleep well at night.This is true even if he did not eat very much food. (Easy English Bible)

5:12b but the abundance of the rich man permits him no sleep.

But rich people have so many possessions ⌊to worry about⌋ that they cannot relax enough to fall asleep.
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But rich people do not sleep well, because they worry about their money. (Translation for Translators)
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Rich people, on the other hand, cannot sleep ⌊because they keep thinking about⌋ their money.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 7:23

7:23a All this I tested by wisdom, saying,

I have used wisdom to study all these things. (EEB)
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I used wisdom’s principles to learn more about all these things.
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I have examined all this using the principles of wisdom. (FBV)

7:23b “I resolve to be wise.”

I thought ⌊to myself⌋ , “I will become a wise person.”
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I wanted to be wise,

7:23c But it was beyond me.

But I was far from ⌊being wise⌋ .
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but I couldn’t do it. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
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But there is still so much that I cannot explain.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Ecclesiastes 2006