The Skeptics Annotated Bible (513 page)

21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.

24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.
—
Ecclesiastes 3.19

Ecclesiastes is by far the best book in the Bible. Of course most of the good stuff contradicts what the Bible says elsewhere.

Highlights:

• “That which is done is that which shall be done.”
  1.9
  
• “There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour.”
  2.24
  
• “To everything there is a season.”
  3.1
  
• “There is no good … but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.” 3.12
  
• “Every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour.”
  3.13
  
• “For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.”
  3.19
  
• “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.”
  3.20
  
• “Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?”
  3.21
  
• “There is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works.”
  3.22
  
• “Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king.”
  4.13
  
• “A fool’s voice is known by multitude of words.”
  5.3
  
• “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.”
  7.5
  
• “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things.”
  7.25
  
• “A man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry.”
  8.15
  
• “For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.”
  9.4
  
• “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.”
  9.5
  
• “Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart.”
  9.7
  
• “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”
  9.10
  
• “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.”
  9.11
  
• “Walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes.”
  11.9
  
• “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.”
  12.12
  

1
The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

(1.1, 12, 16)
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem … I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem … I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me.”
The author of Ecclesiastes claims to be the wise, rich son of King David, which is to say, Solomon. He isn’t. Ecclesiastes was written (forged) about six hundred years after Solomon died (if he ever lived, that is).

2 Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher,
vanity of vanities; all is vanity.

(1.2)
“Vanity of vanities; all is vanity.”

3 What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?

4 One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but
the earth abideth for ever
.

(1.4)
“The earth abideth for ever.”
147 Will the earth last forever?

5
The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.

(1.5)
“The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.”
Although this verse is interpreted figuratively today, it was taken literally by virtually all Christians until the Copernican revolution, and was used by the Church to condemn Galileo for teaching the heliocentric heresy.

6 The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.

7 All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto
the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again
.

(1.7)
“The place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.”
Good description of the water cycle.

(1.8-18)

8
All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.

(1.8)
“All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.”

9 The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and
that which is done is that which shall be done
: and
there is no new thing under the sun.

(1.9a)
“That which is done, is that which shall be done.”

(1.9b)
“There is no new thing under the sun.”
314 What’s new?