Verse
ASV
American Standard Version
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
I said in
my
heart
, Come now, I will prove
thee
with mirth
; therefore
enjoy pleasure:
and,
behold,
this
also
was
vanity
.
I said to
myself
, “
Come now, I will test
you
with pleasure
; enjoy what
is
good!”
But
it
proved
to
be
futile
.
I said of laughter, It is mad;
and of mirth
, What doeth
it?
I said of laughter, “
It is folly,”
and of pleasure
, “
What does
it accomplish
? ”
I searched
in
my
heart
how
to cheer my flesh
with wine ,
my heart
yet
guiding `
me '
with wisdom ,
and
how
to
lay
hold
on
folly,
till
I might
see what it
was good
for the
sons
of
men that
they
should
do under heaven all
the days of their life
.
I sought
to cheer my body
with wine and
to
embrace
folly—
my mind
still
guiding me with wisdom —until
I could
see what was worthwhile
for men to
do under heaven during
the few
days of their lives
.
I made
me
great
works;
I builded
me
houses ;
I
planted me
vineyards ;
I expanded
my
pursuits.
I built
houses and
planted vineyards for
myself.
I made me
gardens and parks, and
I planted trees
in
them
of
all kinds of fruit ;
I made gardens and parks for
myself
, where
I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
I made
me
pools
of
water,
to water therefrom
the
forest
where
trees were
reared;
I built
reservoirs
to water my
groves
of
flourishing
trees .
I bought
men-servants
and maid-servants
, and had
servants born in my house ;
also
I had
great
possessions
of
herds and flocks ,
above
all
that
were
before
me
in Jerusalem ;
I acquired
menservants
and maidservants
, and servants were
born in my house .
I also
owned
more
herds and flocks than
anyone
in Jerusalem before
me,
I gathered
me
also
silver and gold ,
and the treasure of kings and of
the
provinces ;
I gat
me
men-singers
and women-
singers, and the delights of the sons of men ,
musical
instruments,
and
that
of
all
sorts
.
and
I accumulated
for
myself
silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces .
I gathered
to
myself
male
and female
singers, and the delights of the sons of men —many
concubines
.
So I was
great ,
and increased
more
than
all that
were
before
me
in Jerusalem :
also
my wisdom remained with me.
So I became
great and surpassed
all in Jerusalem who
had
preceded
me;
and
my wisdom remained with me.
And
whatsoever
mine
eyes desired I kept
not from
them;
I withheld
not
my heart from
any
joy;
for my heart rejoiced
because
of
all my labor;
and this was my
portion
from
all my labor.
Anything
my
eyes desired ,
I did
not deny
myself.
I refused
my heart no
pleasure.
For my heart took
delight
in
all my work,
and this was the
reward
for
all my labor.
Then
I looked
on
all the works that my hands had wrought,
and on
the
labor
that
I had labored
to do;
and
, behold
, all
was
vanity
and
a striving
after
wind ,
and
there was no
profit
under the sun.
Yet
when
I considered
all the works that my hands had accomplished
and what
I had toiled
to achieve
, I
found
everything
to
be
futile
, a pursuit
of
the
wind ;
there was nothing
to
be
gained
under the sun.
And
I turned myself
to behold
wisdom ,
and madness ,
and folly :
for what `
can '
the man
`
do '
that
cometh
after
the
king?
`even'
that
which
hath
been done
long
ago.
Then
I turned to consider
wisdom and madness and folly ;
for what more
can the king’s
successor
do than
what
has
already
been accomplished?
Then
I saw that wisdom excelleth
folly, as
far
as light excelleth
darkness .
And
I saw that wisdom exceeds
folly, just
as light exceeds
darkness :
The wise man's
eyes are
in his head, and
the fool walketh
in darkness :
and
yet I perceived
that one event
happeneth
to
them all
.
The wise man
has
eyes in his head, but
the fool walks
in darkness .
Yet I also
came
to
realize
that one fate
overcomes
them both
.
Then
said
I in
my
heart,
As
it
happeneth
to the fool ,
so
will it
happen
even
to
me ;
and
why
was
I
then more
wise? Then
said
I in
my
heart,
that this also
is vanity
.
So
I said
to myself,
“
The fate
of
the
fool will also
befall
me .
What
then have
I
gained
by
being
wise? ”
And
I said
to
myself
that this too
is futile
.
For of the wise man
, even
as of
the fool, there
is
no
remembrance
for
ever;
seeing that in the days to come all
will
have
been
long
forgotten
. And
how
doth
the wise man die even
as
the fool!
For there
is
no
lasting
remembrance
of the wise, just
as with
the fool, seeing that both
will
be
forgotten
in the days to come. Alas,
the wise man will
die just
like
the fool!
So I hated life, because the work that is wrought
under the sun was grievous unto
me ;
for all
is vanity
and a striving
after
wind.
So I hated life, because the work that is done
under the sun was grievous to
me .
For everything
is futile
and a pursuit
of
the
wind.
And
I hated all my
labor
wherein
I labored
under the sun, seeing
that
I must leave it unto
the man that
shall
be
after me.
I hated all for
which
I had
toiled
under the sun, because
I must leave it to
the man who
comes
after me.
And who knoweth
whether he
will be a
wise man
or a
fool
? yet will
he have
rule
over all my
labor wherein
I
have
labored,
and
wherein
I have showed
myself
wise
under the sun. This also
is vanity
.
And who knows
whether that
man
will be wise or foolish
? Yet he will
take
over all the
labor at
which
I have worked
skillfully
under the sun. This too
is futile
.
Therefore
I
turned
about
to
cause
my heart to despair concerning
all the labor wherein
I had labored
under the sun.
So
my heart began
to despair over
all the labor that
I had done
under the sun.
For
there is a man whose
labor
is
with wisdom, and
with
knowledge, and with
skilfulness;
yet
to a man that
hath
not labored
therein
shall
he
leave
it
for his
portion.
This also
is vanity
and a great evil.
When
there is a man who
has
labored
with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,
and
he
must
give
his
portion
to a man who
has
not worked
for it,
this too
is futile
and a great evil.
For what hath
a man of
all his
labor,
and
of
the striving of
his
heart,
wherein
he laboreth
under the sun?
For what does
a man get
for
all the toil
and
striving with
which
he labors
under the sun?
For
all his days are `but'
sorrows
, and his travail
is grief
; yea,
even in
the
night his heart
taketh
no
rest. This also
is vanity
.
Indeed,
all his days are filled
with
grief
, and his task
is sorrowful
; even at
night ,
his mind
does
not
rest. This too
is futile
.
There
is
nothing better for a man `
than '
that
he
should
eat and drink ,
and make
his
soul
enjoy good
in
his labor
. This
also
I saw,
that it
is from the hand of God.
Nothing is
better for a man than to
eat and drink and enjoy his work
. I have
also
seen
that this
is from the hand of God.
For who can eat ,
or
who can have
enjoyment ,
more
than
I
?
For apart
from
Him,
who can eat and
who can find
enjoyment?
For
to the man that
pleaseth
him
`God'
giveth
wisdom
, and knowledge ,
and joy ;
but to the sinner he giveth
travail,
to
gather
and to
heap
up,
that he may
give
to him
that
pleaseth
God. This also
is vanity
and a striving
after
wind.
To the man who
is
pleasing
in
His
sight
, He
gives
wisdom
and knowledge and joy ,
but to the sinner He assigns
the
task
of
gathering
and accumulating
that which
he will
hand
over
to one
who
pleases
God. This too
is futile
and a pursuit
of
the
wind.
Scripture text: American Standard Version and Berean Standard Bible. Public domain.; Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC..