Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
WEB
World English Bible
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
my
heart
, "
Come now, I will test you with mirth:
therefore
enjoy
pleasure; "
and,
behold,
this
also
was
vanity
.
I said of laughter, “
It is folly,”
and of pleasure
, “
What does it accomplish? ”
I said of laughter, "
It is foolishness;"
and of mirth
, "
What does it accomplish? "
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 searched
in
my
heart
how
to cheer my flesh
with wine ,
my heart
yet
guiding me with wisdom ,
and
how
to
lay
hold
of
folly,
until I might
see what it
was good
for the
sons
of
men that
they
should
do under heaven all
the days of their lives.
I expanded
my
pursuits
. I built houses and
planted vineyards
for
myself.
I made
myself
great
works
. I built myself
houses .
I
planted myself vineyards
.
I made gardens and parks for
myself
, where
I planted all kinds of fruit trees
.
I made myself
gardens and parks, and
I planted trees
in
them
of
all kinds of fruit.
I built
reservoirs
to water my
groves
of
flourishing
trees.
I made
myself
pools
of
water,
to water from
it
the
forest
where
trees were
reared
.
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 bought
men-servants
and maid-servants
, and had
servants born in my house. I also had
great
possessions
of
herds and flocks ,
above
all
who
were
before me in
Jerusalem;
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 also
gathered
silver and gold for
myself,
and the treasure of kings and of
the
provinces. I got
myself men-singers
and women-
singers, and the delights of the sons of men --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 who were
before
me in
Jerusalem.
My wisdom also
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.
Whatever
my eyes desired, I didn't
keep
from
them
. I didn't
withhold
my heart from
any
joy,
for my heart rejoiced
because
of
all my labor
, and this was my
portion
from
all my labor.
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
at
all the works that my hands had worked,
and at
the
labor
that
I had labored
to do;
and
, behold
, all
was
vanity
and
a chasing
after
wind ,
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?
I turned myself
to consider wisdom ,
madness ,
and folly :
for what can the king's
successor do ?
Just
that
which
has been done
long
ago.
And
I saw that wisdom exceeds
folly, just
as light exceeds
darkness :
Then
I saw that wisdom excels
folly, as far
as
light excels
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, and
the fool walks in darkness --and
yet I perceived
that one event
happens
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
happens
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
.
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 of the wise man
, even
as of
the fool, there
is
no
memory
for
ever,
seeing that in the days to come all
will
have
been
long
forgotten
. Indeed
, the wise man must
die just like 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.
So I hated life, because the work that is worked
under the sun was grievous to me ;
for all
is vanity
and a chasing
after
wind.
I hated all for
which I had
toiled
under the sun, because
I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
I hated all my
labor
in
which I labored
under the sun, seeing
that
I must leave it to the man who comes 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
.
Who knows whether he
will be a
wise man
or a
fool
? Yet he will have
rule
over all of
my
labor in
which I have labored,
and
in
which
I
have
shown
myself
wise
under the sun. This also
is vanity
.
So
my heart began
to despair over
all the labor that
I had done
under the sun.
Therefore
I
began
to
cause
my heart to despair concerning
all the labor in
which
I had labored
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
labor
is
with wisdom, with
knowledge, and with
skillfulness;
yet
he shall
leave
it
for
his portion to a man who has not labored
for it .
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 has
a man of
all his
labor,
and of
the
striving of
his
heart,
in
which he labors 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
is grief
; yes,
even in
the
night his heart
takes
no
rest. This also
is 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 make
his
soul
enjoy good
in
his labor
. This
also I
saw,
that it
is from the hand of God.
For apart
from
Him,
who can eat and
who can find
enjoyment?
For who can eat ,
or
who can have
enjoyment ,
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
to the man who pleases
him
, God
gives wisdom ,
knowledge ,
and joy ;
but to the sinner he gives
travail,
to
gather
and to
heap
up,
that he may
give
to him
who pleases God. This also
is vanity
and a chasing
after
wind.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and World English Bible. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain; “World English Bible” is a trademark of eBible.org..