Ecclesiastes 1-3
New American Standard Bible
2'Futility of futilities,' says the Preacher, 'Futility of futilities! All is futility.'
3What advantage does a person have in all his work Which he does under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever.
5Also, the sun rises and the sun sets; And hurrying to its place it rises there again.
6 Blowing toward the south, Then turning toward the north, The wind continues swirling along; And on its circular courses the wind returns.
7All the rivers flow into the sea, Yet the sea is not full. To the place where the rivers flow, There they flow again.
8All things are wearisome; No one can tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been, it is what will be, And what has been done, it is what will be done. So there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which one might say, 'See this, it is new'? It has already existed for ages Which were before us.
12I, the Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I set my mind to seek and explore by wisdom about everything that has been done under heaven. It is a sorry task with which God has given the sons of mankind to be troubled.
14I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is futility and striving after wind.
15What is crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said to myself, 'Behold, I have magnified and increased wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my mind has observed a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.'
17And I applied my mind to know wisdom and to know insanity and foolishness; I realized that this also is striving after wind.
18Because in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
Chapter 2
1I said to myself, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.' And behold, it too was futility. 2I said of laughter, 'It is senseless,' and of pleasure, 'What does this accomplish?' 3I explored with my mind how to refresh my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely; and how to seize foolishness, until I could see what good there is for the sons of mankind to do under heaven for the few years of their lives. 4I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; 5I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves, and I had slaves born at home. I also possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8I also amassed for myself silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers, and the pleasures of the sons of mankind: many concubines.
9Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me.
10All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my reward for all my labor.
11So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold, all was futility and striving after wind, and there was no benefit under the sun.
12So I turned to consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness; for what will the man do who will come after the king, except what has already been done?
13Then I saw that wisdom surpasses foolishness as light surpasses darkness.
14The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one and the same fate happens to both of them.
15Then I said to myself, 'As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. Why then have I been extremely wise?' So I said to myself, 'This too is futility.'
16For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will soon be forgotten. And how the wise and the fool alike die!
17So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
18So I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is futility.
20Therefore I completely despaired over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.
21When there is a person who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then gives his legacy to one who has not labored for it; this too is futility and a great evil.
22For what does a person get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun?
23Because all his days his activity is painful and irritating; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is futility.
24There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is from the hand of God.
25For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him?
26For to a person who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is futility and striving after wind.
Chapter 3
1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven—
2A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.
5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.
8A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.
9What benefit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?
10I have seen the task which God has given the sons of mankind with which to occupy themselves.
12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;
13moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God.
14I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it. And God has so worked, that people will fear Him.
15That which is, is what has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God seeks what has passed by.
16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
17I said to myself, 'God will judge the righteous and the wicked,' for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.
18I said to myself regarding the sons of mankind, 'God is testing them in order for them to see that they are as animals, they to themselves.'
19For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility.
20All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.
21Who knows that the spirit of the sons of mankind ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?
22I have seen that nothing is better than when a person is happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?
King James Version
Chapter 1
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. 3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
3I 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.
4I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
11Then 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.
12And 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.
17Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18Yea, 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.
21For 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.
22For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24There 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.
8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.
14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.
Christian Standard Bible
2"Absolute futility," says the Teacher. "Absolute futility. Everything is futile."
3What does a person gain for all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?
4A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets; panting, it returns to the place where it rises.
6Gusting to the south, turning to the north, turning, turning, goes the wind, and the wind returns in its cycles.
7All the streams flow to the sea, yet the sea is never full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
8All things are wearisome, more than anyone can say. The eye is not satisfied by seeing or the ear filled with hearing.
9What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing new under the sun.
10Can one say about anything, "Look, this is new"? It has already existed in the ages before us.
11There is no remembrance of those who came before; and of those who will come after there will also be no remembrance by those who follow them.
12I, the Teacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13I applied my mind to examine and explore through wisdom all that is done under heaven. God has given people this miserable task to keep them occupied.
14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun and have found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind.
16I said to myself, "See, I have amassed wisdom far beyond all those who were over Jerusalem before me, and my mind has thoroughly grasped wisdom and knowledge."
17I applied my mind to know wisdom and knowledge, madness and folly; I learned that this too is a pursuit of the wind.
Chapter 2
1I said to myself, "Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good." But it turned out to be futile. 2I said about laughter, "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?" 3I explored with my mind the pull of wine on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom— and how to grasp folly, until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.
7I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and many concubines, the delights of men.
9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me.
10All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.
11When I considered all that I had accomplished and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
12Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor be like? He will do what has already been done.
13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.
14The wise person has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.
15So I said to myself, "What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?" And I said to myself that this is also futile.
16For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies just like the fool?
17Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
18I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.
19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
20So I began to give myself over to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.
21When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong.
22For what does a person get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun?
23For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
24There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,
25because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him?
26For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Chapter 3
1There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven: 2a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot; 3a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; 4a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; 6a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away; 7a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak; 8a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.
9What does the worker gain from his struggles?
10I have seen the task that God has given the children of Adam to keep them occupied.
11He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but no one can discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life.
13It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.
14I know that everything God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of him.
15Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. However, God seeks justice for the persecuted.
16I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.
17I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work."
18I said to myself, "This happens so that God may test the children of Adam and they may see for themselves that they are like animals."
19For the fate of the children of Adam and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile.
20All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21Who knows if the spirits of the children of Adam go upward and the spirits of animals go downward to the earth?
22I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?
New Living Translation
3What do people get for all their hard work under the sun?
4Generations come and generations go, but the earth never changes.
5The sun rises and the sun sets, then hurries around to rise again.
6The wind blows south, and then turns north. Around and around it goes, blowing in circles.
7Rivers run into the sea, but the sea is never full. Then the water returns again to the rivers and flows out again to the sea.
8Everything is wearisome beyond description. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied. No matter how much we hear, we are not content.
9History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new.
10Sometimes people say, 'Here is something new!' But actually it is old; nothing is ever truly new.
11We don’t remember what happened in the past, and in future generations, no one will remember what we are doing now.
12I, the Teacher, was king of Israel, and I lived in Jerusalem.
13I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.
14I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless — like chasing the wind.
16I said to myself, 'Look, I am wiser than any of the kings who ruled in Jerusalem before me. I have greater wisdom and knowledge than any of them.'
17So I set out to learn everything from wisdom to madness and folly. But I learned firsthand that pursuing all this is like chasing the wind.
Chapter 2
1I said to myself, 'Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.' But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2So I said, 'Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?' 3After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.
4I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards.
5I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees.
6I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves.
7I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me.
8I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
9So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me.
10Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors.
11But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless — like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
12So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king? ).
13I thought, 'Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness.
14For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.' Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate.
15Both will die. So I said to myself, 'Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!'
16For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.
18I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned.
19And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless!
20So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
21Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy.
22So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety?
23Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
24So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God.
25For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?
26God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless — like chasing the wind.
Chapter 3
1For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. 2A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant and a time to harvest. 3A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. 5A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. 6A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. 8A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.
9What do people really get for all their hard work?
10I have seen the burden God has placed on us all.
11Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.
12So I concluded there is nothing better than to be happy and enjoy ourselves as long as we can.
13And people should eat and drink and enjoy the fruits of their labor, for these are gifts from God.
14And I know that whatever God does is final. Nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God’s purpose is that people should fear him.
15What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.
16I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt!
17I said to myself, 'In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.'
18I also thought about the human condition — how God proves to people that they are like animals.
19For people and animals share the same fate — both breathe and both must die. So people have no real advantage over the animals. How meaningless!
20Both go to the same place — they came from dust and they return to dust.
21For who can prove that the human spirit goes up and the spirit of animals goes down into the earth?
22So I saw that there is nothing better for people than to be happy in their work. That is our lot in life. And no one can bring us back to see what happens after we die.
English Standard Version
2 Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.
3 What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?
4A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever.
5 The sun rises, and the sun goes down, and hastens to the place where it rises.
6 The wind blows to the south and goes around to the north; around and around goes the wind, and on its circuits the wind returns.
7All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
8All things are full of weariness; a man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already in the ages before us.
11There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after.
12I the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I applied my heart to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
14I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.
15 What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16I said in my heart, "I have acquired great wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge."
17And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but a striving after wind.
Chapter 2
1I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself." But behold, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter, "It is mad," and of pleasure, "What use is it?" 3I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine — my heart still guiding me with wisdom — and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. 5I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.
9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.
11Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
12So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
13Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness.
14The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.
15Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?" And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
16For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!
17So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
18I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
19and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
20So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
21because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
23For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
24There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,
25for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
26For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
9What gain has the worker from his toil?
10I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man 's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
12I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;
13also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil — this is God 's gift to man.
14I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him.
15That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.
16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.
17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.
18I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts.
19For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.
20All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.
21Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
22So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?
New International Version
2"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."
3What do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun?
4Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever.
5The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.
6The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course.
7All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again.
8All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing.
9What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which one can say, "Look! This is something new"? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.
11No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
12I, the Teacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens. What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!
14I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
16I said to myself, "Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me; I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge."
17Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom, and also of madness and folly, but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
Chapter 2
1I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. 2"Laughter," I said, "is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?" 3I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
5I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
7I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.
9I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
11Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
12Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?
13I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
14The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
15Then I said to myself, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said to myself, "This too is meaningless."
16For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!
17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
18I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
19And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.
20So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
21For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.
22What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?
23All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
24A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
25for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
26To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Chapter 3
1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: 2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, 4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
9What do workers gain from their toil?
10I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
12I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.
13That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.
14I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.
18I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.
19Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath ; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.
20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.
21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"
New King James Version
2“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher; “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.”
3 What profit has a man from all his labor In which he toils under the sun?
4 One generation passes away, and another generation comes; But the earth abides forever.
5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.
6 The wind goes toward the south, And turns around to the north; The wind whirls about continually, And comes again on its circuit.
7 All the rivers run into the sea, Yet the sea is not full; To the place from which the rivers come, There they return again.
8All things are full of labor; Man cannot express it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor the ear filled with hearing.
9 That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun.
10Is there anything of which it may be said, “See, this is new”? It has already been in ancient times before us.
11 There is no remembrance of former things, Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after.
12I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised.
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
16I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge.”
17And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.
Chapter 2
1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.
4I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.
5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.
7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me.
8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.
10Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; And this was my reward from all my labor.
11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun.
12Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?— Only what he has already done.
13Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness.
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all.
15So I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, It also happens to me, And why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is vanity.”
16For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!
18Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
20Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.
21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?
23For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.
25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Chapter 3
1To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: 2A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; 3A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up; 4A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance; 5A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; 6A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; 7A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; 8A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.
9What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?
10I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,
13and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past.
18I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.”
19For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity.
20All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust.
21Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?
22So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
