It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning until late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to his loved ones.

你们清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃劳碌得来的饭，本是枉然；惟有耶和华所亲爱的，必叫他安然睡觉。

你们清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃劳碌得来的饭，本是枉然；惟有耶和华所亲爱的，必叫他安然睡觉。

你们清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃劳碌得来的饭，本是枉然；惟有耶和华所亲爱的，必叫他安然睡觉。

你早起晚睡，为生活操劳也是徒然，唯有耶和华所爱的人才能安眠。

你们清早起来，很晚才歇息，吃劳碌得来的饭，都是徒然；因为主必使他所爱的安睡。

你们早早起来，迟迟安歇，吃劳苦得来的饭，也是枉然；要知道，耶和华必使他所爱的人安睡。

你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；惟有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。

你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；惟有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。

你們清晨早起，夜晚安歇，吃勞碌得來的飯，本是枉然；惟有耶和華所親愛的，必叫他安然睡覺。

你早起晚睡，為生活操勞也是徒然，唯有耶和華所愛的人才能安眠。

你們清早起來，很晚才歇息，吃勞碌得來的飯，都是徒然；因為主必使他所愛的安睡。

你們早早就起來，晚晚才歇息，喫勤勞得來的飯，盡是枉然；因為主在所愛的人睡覺時，已賜給他了。

你們早早起來，遲遲安歇，吃勞苦得來的飯，也是枉然；要知道，耶和華必使他所愛的人安睡。

爾曹夙興晏寢、勞苦謀食、俱係徒然、上帝所愛者、偃息之時、錫以綏安兮、

由是觀之、縱夙興夜寐、心緒紛紜、以謀餬口、亦係徒勞、上帝所愛者、必得安寢兮。

爾曹早起遲眠、辛苦求食、亦屬徒勞、惟主所喜愛者、主必使之安然寢寐、

擾擾復攘攘。孜孜度晨昏。究竟何所得。愁苦供盤飱。小人長戚戚。君子坦蕩蕩。心安身亦泰。美睡主所賞。

In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat— for he grants sleep to those he loves.

It’s useless for you to work from early morning until late at night just to get food to eat. God provides for those he loves even while they sleep.

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.

In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, he gives sleep to the one he loves.

It is futile for you to rise up early, To stay up late, To eat the bread of painful labor; This is how He gives to His beloved sleep.

It is vain for you to rise up early, To sit up late, To eat the bread of sorrows; For so He gives His beloved sleep.

It is vain for you to rise up early, To take rest late, To eat the bread of toil; For so he giveth unto his beloved sleep.

In vain you get up early and stay up late, working hard to have enough food— yes, He gives sleep to the one He loves.

[ It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows:[ for] so he giveth his beloved sleep.

It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to stay up late, eating the bread of toil, for he gives sleep to his loved ones.

People who work hard sleep well, whether they eat little or much. But the rich seldom get a good night’s sleep.

In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.

I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me.

At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep had been very sweet.

Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.

So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.

“ I will make a covenant of peace with my people and drive away the dangerous animals from the land. Then they will be able to camp safely in the wildest places and sleep in the woods without fear.

But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate.

She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plan the day’s work for her servant girls.She goes to inspect a field and buys it; with her earnings she plants a vineyard.She is energetic and strong, a hard worker.She makes sure her dealings are profitable; her lamp burns late into the night.

I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless— like chasing the wind.

I said to myself,“ Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the‘ good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless.So I said,“ Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me.I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless— like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.

This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself,“ Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.

And to the man he said,“ Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.”

Now rescue your beloved people. Answer and save us by your power.

You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” InterludeWe are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.

All people spend their lives scratching for food, but they never seem to have enough.