Books

Ecclesiastes 7

Amplified Bible, 2015 (AMP)

Switch Version:

¹ Listen carefully, the Lord GOD will come with might, And His arm will rule for Him. Most certainly His reward is with Him, And His restitution accompanies Him.

² He will protect His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom; He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.

³ Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand], And calculated the dust of the earth with a[2] measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?

⁴ Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or has taught Him as His counselor?

⁵ With whom did He consult and who enlightened Him? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding?

⁶ In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

⁷ And [the forests of] Lebanon cannot supply sufficient fuel to start a fire, Nor are its wild beasts enough for a burnt offering [worthy of the LORD].

⁸ All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.

⁹ To whom then will you liken God? Or with what likeness will you compare Him?

¹⁰ As for the cast image (idol), a metalworker casts it, A goldsmith overlays it with gold And a silversmith casts its silver chains.

¹¹ He who is too impoverished for such an offering [to give to his god] Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter.

¹² Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]?

¹³ It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; [It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

¹⁴ It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).

¹⁵ Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And a strong wind carries them away like stubble.

¹⁶ "To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.

¹⁷ Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these heavenly bodies, The One who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one is missing.

¹⁸ Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"?

¹⁹ Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding.

²⁰ He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power.

²¹ Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,

²² But those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.

²³ "Listen to Me in silence, you islands and coastlands, And let the nations gain their strength; Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment [and decide the issue between us concerning the enemy from the east].

²⁴ "Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The LORD turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.

²⁵ "He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely, By a way his feet had not traveled before.

²⁶ "Who has performed and done this, Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? 'I, the LORD—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.'"

²⁷ The islands and coastlands have seen and they fear; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.

²⁸ They each help his neighbor And say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], "Be of good courage!"

²⁹ So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith, And he who smooths metal with the smith's hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering (welding), "That is good"; And he fastens the idol with nails, So that it will not totter nor be moved.

#	AMP
1	Listen carefully, the Lord GOD will come with might, And His arm will rule for Him. Most certainly His reward is with Him, And His restitution accompanies Him.
2	He will protect His flock like a shepherd, He will gather the lambs in His arm, He will carry them in His bosom; He will gently and carefully lead those nursing their young.
3	Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, And marked off the heavens with a span [of the hand], And calculated the dust of the earth with a[2] measure, And weighed the mountains in a balance And the hills in a pair of scales?
4	Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, Or has taught Him as His counselor?
5	With whom did He consult and who enlightened Him? Who taught Him the path of justice and taught Him knowledge And informed Him of the way of understanding?
6	In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales; Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.
7	And [the forests of] Lebanon cannot supply sufficient fuel to start a fire, Nor are its wild beasts enough for a burnt offering [worthy of the LORD].
8	All the nations are as nothing before Him, They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
9	To whom then will you liken God? Or with what likeness will you compare Him?
10	As for the cast image (idol), a metalworker casts it, A goldsmith overlays it with gold And a silversmith casts its silver chains.
11	He who is too impoverished for such an offering [to give to his god] Chooses a tree that will not rot; He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman To [carve and] set up an idol that will not totter.
12	Do you [who worship idols] not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been told to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth [the omnipotence of God and the stupidity of bowing to idols]?
13	It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; [It is He] who stretches out the heavens like a veil And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
14	It is He who reduces dignitaries to nothing, Who makes the judges (rulers) of the earth meaningless (useless).
15	Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And a strong wind carries them away like stubble.
16	"To whom then will you compare Me That I would be his equal?" says the Holy One.
17	Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these heavenly bodies, The One who brings out their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one is missing.
18	Why, O Jacob, do you say, and declare, O Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD, And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God"?
19	Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth Does not become tired or grow weary; There is no searching of His understanding.
20	He gives strength to the weary, And to him who has no might He increases power.
21	Even youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young men stumble badly,
22	But those who wait for the LORD [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired.
23	"Listen to Me in silence, you islands and coastlands, And let the nations gain their strength; Let them come near, then let them speak; Let us come together for judgment [and decide the issue between us concerning the enemy from the east].
24	"Who has stirred up and put into action one from the east [the king of Persia, Cyrus the Great] Whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? The LORD turns nations over to him And subdues kings. He makes them like dust with his sword, Like wind-driven chaff with his bow.
25	"He (Cyrus) pursues them and passes along safely, By a way his feet had not traveled before.
26	"Who has performed and done this, Calling forth [and guiding the destinies of] the generations [of the nations] from the beginning? 'I, the LORD—the first, and with the last [existing before history began, the ever-present, unchanging God]—I am He.'"
27	The islands and coastlands have seen and they fear; The ends of the earth tremble; They have drawn near and have come.
28	They each help his neighbor And say to his brother [as he fashions his idols], "Be of good courage!"
29	So the craftsman encourages the goldsmith, And he who smooths metal with the smith's hammer encourages him who beats the anvil, Saying of the soldering (welding), "That is good"; And he fastens the idol with nails, So that it will not totter nor be moved.

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Holy Bible

Ecclesiastes 7

Select Commentary