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| [1]I SAID to my heart, Come now, I will prove you with joy; therefore enjoy good things; and, behold, this also is vanity. |
[1]I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with joy: therefore take thou pleasure in pleasant things: and behold, this also is vanity. |
| [2]I said of laughter, What pleasure is there in it? and of mirth, What do you accomplish? |
[2]I said of laughter, Thou art mad: and of joy, What is this that thou doest? |
| [3]I thought in my heart to give myself to wine, but my heart reasoned with wisdom; and I laid hold upon understanding, till I might see what was good for the sons of men, which they should do under the sun all the days of their lives. |
[3]I sought in mine heart to give myself to wine, and to lead mine heart in wisdom, and to take hold of folly, till I might see where is that goodness of the children of men, which they enjoy under the sun: the whole number of the days of their life. |
| [4]I multiplied my servants; I built myself houses; I planted vineyards for myself: |
[4]I have made my great works: I have built me houses: I have planted me vineyards. |
| [5]I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them trees of all kinds of fruit; |
[5]I have made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruit. |
| [6]I made myself pools of water, to irrigate the nursery that produces trees. |
[6]I have made me cisterns of water, to water therewith the woods that grow with trees. |
| [7]I got for myself menservants and maidservants, and had a great household; also I had great possessions of cattle and flocks, above all who were before me in Jerusalem. |
[7]I have gotten servants and maids, and had children born in the house: also I had great possession of beeves and sheep above all that were before me in Jerusalem. |
| [8]I gathered for myself silver and gold and the possessions of kings and cities; I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men, and I appointed for myself butlers and waitresses. |
[8]I have gathered unto me also sliver and gold, and the chief treasures of kings and provinces: I have provided me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as a woman taken captive, and women taken captives. |
| [9]So I became great, and my wealth increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. |
[9]And I was great, and increased above all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. |
| [10]And whatsoever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my portion of all my labor. |
[10]And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I withheld it not from them: I withdrew not mine heart from any joy: for mine heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my portion of all my travail. |
| [11]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 vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun |
[11]Then I looked on all my works that mine hands had wrought, and on the travail that I had labored to do: and behold, all is vanity and vexation of the spirit: and there is no profit under the sun. |
| [12]So I looked around to behold wisdom and transgression and folly; for who is the man who can enter into judgment with the king? Especially with him who had created him. |
[12]And I turned to behold wisdom, and madness and folly: (for who is the man that will come after the king in things, which men now have done?) |
| [13]Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, just as light excels darkness. |
[13]Then I saw that there is profit in wisdom, more than in folly: as the light is more excellent than darkness. |
| [14]The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness; and I myself perceived also that one misfortune happens to them all. |
[14]For the wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness: yet I know also that the same condition falleth to them all. |
| [15]Then I said in my heart, The misfortune of the fool will happen to me also; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, This also is vanity. |
[15]Then I thought in mine heart, It befalleth unto me, as it befalleth to the fool. Why therefore do I then labor to be more wise? And I said in mine heart, that this also is vanity. |
| [16]The fool speaks superficially, but there is no remembrance of the wise man more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is, in the days to come shall be forgotten. And just as the wise man dies, so the fool |
[16]For there shall be no remembrance of the wise, nor of the fool forever: for that that now is, in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man, as doth the fool? |
| [17]Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous to me; for all is vanity and vexation of spirit. |
[17]Therefore I hated life: for the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity, and vexation of the spirit. |
| [18]Yea, I hated all my labor with which I had labored under the sun because I must leave it to the man who shall come after me. |
[18]I hated also all my labor, wherein I had travailed under the sun, which I shall leave to the man that shall be after me. |
| [19]And who knows whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. |
[19]And who knoweth whether he shall be wise or foolish? Yet shall he have rule over all my labor, wherein I have travailed, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity. |
| [20]Therefore I changed my view concerning all the toil in which I had labored under the sun. |
[20]Therefore I went about to make mine heart abhor all the labor, wherein I had travailed under the sun. |
| [21]There is a man who labors with wisdom and knowledge and success; and yet he leaves his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. |
[21]For there is a man whose travail is in wisdom, and in knowledge and in equity: yet to a man that hath not travailed herein, shall he give his portion: this also is vanity and a great grief. |
| [22]For what profit shall a man have of all his labor and of the desire of his heart wherein he has labored under the sun? |
[22]For what hath man of all his travail and grief of his heart, wherein he hath travailed under the sun? |
| [23]For all his days are full of sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. |
[23]For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief: his heart also taketh not rest in the night: which also is vanity. |
| [24]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 labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of the LORD. |
[24]There is no profit to man: but that he eat, and drink, and delight his soul with the profit of his labor: I saw also this, that it was of the hand of God. |
| [25]For who can eat or who can drink except he? |
[25]For who could eat, and who could haste to outward things more than I? |
| [26]For, to a man who is good in his presence, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives toil, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good in the presence of the LORD. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit |
[26]Surely to a man that is good in his sight, God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth pain, to gather, and to heap to give to him that is good before God: this is also vanity, and vexation of the spirit. |