Verse
BSB
Berean Standard Bible
YLT
Young's Literal Translation
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
, `Pray,
come, I try
thee
with mirth,
and
look
thou
on
gladness
; '
and
lo,
even
it `is'
vanity
.
I
said
of laughter ,
“It
is
folly
, ”
and of pleasure
, “
What does
it accomplish
? ”
Of laughter I
said
, `Foolish!'
and of mirth
, `
What `is'
this
it is
doing
? '
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 have
sought in
my heart
to
draw
out
with wine my
appetite,
(
and my heart
leading
in
wisdom ),
and
to
take
hold
on
folly
till
that
I see where
`is'
this
--
the
good
to the
sons
of
man
of
that
which
they
do under the heavens,
the
number
of
the
days of their lives.
I expanded
my pursuits.
I built
houses and
planted vineyards
for myself
.
I made
great
my works,
I builded
for
me
houses ,
I
planted for me
vineyards
.
I made gardens and parks
for
myself
, where
I planted all
kinds
of fruit trees
.
I made for
me
gardens and paradises
, and
I planted in
them
trees
of every
fruit.
I built
reservoirs
to water my
groves
of
flourishing
trees.
I made
for
me
pools
of
water,
to water from
them
a
forest
shooting
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
men-servants
, and maid-
servants ,
and
sons
of
the
house were
to
me;
also ,
I
had
much
substance
--
herd
and flock
--
above
all
who
had
been
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 gathered
for me
also
silver and gold ,
and the peculiar
treasure of kings and of
the
provinces. I prepared
for
me
men-singers
and women-
singers, and the luxuries
of the sons of man
--
a
wife
and
wives
.
So
I became great and surpassed
all
in
Jerusalem
who had preceded
me; and
my wisdom remained
with me.
And
I became great ,
and increased
above
every
one
who had been
before
me in
Jerusalem
; also,
my wisdom stood
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
all
that
mine
eyes asked
I kept
not back
from
them;
I withheld
not
my heart from
any
joy,
for my heart rejoiced
because
of
all my labour
, and this hath
been
my
portion,
from
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 .
and
I have
looked
on
all my
works that my hands have
done,
and on
the
labour
that
I have
laboured
to do
, and
lo
, the whole
`is'
vanity
and
vexation
of
spirit,
and
there is
no
advantage
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 to see
wisdom ,
and madness ,
and folly ,
but
what `is'
the man
who
cometh
after
the
king
? that
which
`is'
already
--
they
have
done
it!
And I saw that wisdom exceeds
folly, just
as
light exceeds
darkness :
And I saw that there
is
an
advantage
to
wisdom above
folly, like
the
advantage
of
the
light above
the
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 !
--
his
eyes `are'
in his head, and
the fool in darkness is
walking,
and
I also knew
that one event
happeneth
with
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.
and
I said in
my
heart
, `As
it
happeneth
with
the fool ,
it
happeneth
also with
me ,
and
why
am
I then
more
wise? '
And I spake
in
my
heart,
that also
this `
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!
That
there is no remembrance to
the wise --
with the fool --
to
the
age
, for
that which
`is'
already,
`
in '
the days that
are
coming
is
all
forgotten
, and
how
dieth
the wise ?
with
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
.
And
I have
hated life, for
sad
to
me
`is'
the work that hath
been
done under the sun ,
for the
whole
`
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.
And
I have
hated all my
labour
that
I labour
at
under the sun, because I leave it to a
man who is
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
is
wise or foolish? yet he doth
rule
over all my
labour
that
I
have
laboured
at ,
and
that
I have done
wisely
under the sun !
this also
`
is '
vanity
.
So
my heart began
to despair over
all the labor
that I had
done
under the sun.
And
I
turned
round
to
cause
my heart to despair concerning
all the labour
that I laboured
at
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
, and to a man who hath
not laboured
therein
he
giveth
it --
his
portion!
Even
this `
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
been
to
a man by
all his
labour,
and by
the
thought
of
his
heart
that
he laboured
at
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
sadness
; even at night his heart
hath
not lain
down;
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
good
in
a man who
eateth,
and hath
drunk,
and hath
shewn
his soul
good
in
his
labour
. This
also
I have seen that it
`
is '
from the hand of God.
For apart
from
Him,
who can
eat
and who can
find
enjoyment
?
For who eateth
and who hasteth
out
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 a
man who `
is '
good
before
Him
, He hath
given
wisdom ,
and knowledge ,
and joy ;
and
to a
sinner He hath
given
travail,
to
gather
and to heap
up,
to
give
to
the
good
before
God. Even
this `
is '
vanity
and vexation
of spirit
.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible and Young's Literal Translation. Public domain; source text distributed by BSB Publishing, LLC.; Public domain..