Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
KJV
King James Version
I said to
myself
, “Come
now, I will test
you
with pleasure;
enjoy what
is good!”
But
it
proved
to
be
futile
.
I said in
mine
heart
, Go
to
now, I will prove
thee
with mirth,
therefore
enjoy pleasure:
and,
behold,
this
also
is vanity
.
I said of laughter, “
It is folly,”
and of pleasure
, “
What does
it accomplish
? ”
I said of laughter, It is mad:
and of mirth
, What doeth
it?
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 sought in
mine
heart
to give
myself
unto
wine ,
yet
acquainting
mine
heart
with
wisdom;
and to lay
hold
on
folly ,
till
I might
see what was that
good
for the
sons
of
men ,
which
they
should
do under the
heaven all
the days of their life
.
I expanded
my
pursuits.
I built
houses and
planted vineyards for
myself.
I made
me
great
works;
I builded
me
houses ;
I
planted me
vineyards :
I made gardens and parks
for
myself
, where
I planted all kinds
of fruit
trees.
I made me
gardens and orchards
, and
I planted trees
in
them
of
all kind
of fruits:
I built
reservoirs
to water my
groves
of
flourishing
trees .
I made
me
pools
of
water,
to water therewith
the
wood
that
bringeth
forth
trees :
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 got
me
servants
and maidens
, and had
servants born in my house ;
also I
had
great
possessions
of
great
and small
cattle
above
all
that
were
in Jerusalem before me :
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
.
I gathered
me
also
silver and gold ,
and the peculiar
treasure of kings and of
the
provinces :
I gat
me
men
singers
and women
singers, and the delights of the sons of men ,
as
musical
instruments,
and
that
of
all
sorts
.
So I became
great and surpassed
all in Jerusalem who
had
preceded
me;
and
my wisdom remained with me.
So I was
great ,
and increased
more
than
all that
were
before
me
in Jerusalem :
also
my wisdom remained with me.
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
.
And
whatsoever
mine
eyes desired I kept
not from
them,
I withheld
not
my heart from
any
joy;
for my heart rejoiced
in all my labour:
and this was my
portion
of
all my labour
.
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.
Then
I looked
on
all the works that my hands had wrought,
and on
the
labour
that
I had laboured
to do:
and
, behold
, all
was
vanity
and
vexation
of spirit,
and
there was no
profit
under the sun.
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
?
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
already
done.
And
I saw that wisdom exceeds
folly, just
as light exceeds
darkness :
Then
I saw that wisdom excelleth
folly, as far
as
light excelleth
darkness .
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
.
The wise man's
eyes are
in his head ;
but the fool walketh
in darkness :
and
I myself
perceived
also that one event
happeneth
to
them all
.
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
.
Then
said I
in
my
heart
, As
it
happeneth
to
the fool ,
so
it
happeneth
even
to
me ;
and
why
was
I then
more
wise? Then
I said in
my
heart,
that this also
is vanity
.
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 !
For there is no remembrance of the wise more
than
of
the fool for
ever;
seeing that which
now
is
in the days to come shall
all
be
forgotten
. And
how
dieth
the wise man ?
as
the fool .
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
.
Therefore
I hated life ;
because the work that is wrought
under the sun is
grievous unto
me :
for all
is vanity
and vexation
of spirit
.
I hated all for
which I had toiled
under the sun ,
because I must
leave it to
the man who
comes
after me.
Yea,
I hated all my
labour
which I had taken
under the sun :
because I should
leave it unto
the man that
shall
be
after me.
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
.
And who knoweth
whether he
shall
be a
wise man
or a
fool
? yet shall
he have
rule
over all my
labour
wherein
I have laboured,
and
wherein
I
have
shewed
myself
wise
under the sun. This is also
vanity
.
So
my heart began
to despair over
all the labor
that
I had
done
under the sun.
Therefore
I
went
about
to
cause
my heart to despair of
all the labour
which
I took
under the sun.
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
there is a man whose
labour
is
in
wisdom, and in
knowledge
, and in
equity;
yet
to a man that
hath
not laboured
therein
shall
he
leave
it for
his
portion.
This also
is vanity
and a great evil.
For what does
a
man get
for
all the
toil
and striving
with
which
he labors
under the sun?
For what hath
man of
all his
labour,
and of
the
vexation
of
his
heart,
wherein
he hath
laboured
under the sun?
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
.
For
all his days are sorrows
, and his travail
grief
; yea
, his heart
taketh
not rest in
the
night
. This is also
vanity
.
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.
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
. This
also I
saw,
that it
was
from the hand of God.
For apart
from
Him,
who can eat and
who can find
enjoyment
?
For who can eat ,
or
who else
can hasten
hereunto,
more
than
I
?
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
.
For
God
giveth
to a
man that
is good
in his sight 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
is
good
before
God. This also
is vanity
and vexation
of spirit
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and King James Version. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; UK publication rights are administered by the Crown's patentee; public domain in most other jurisdictions..