Ecclesiastes:1-6
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The words of the Preacher ,
the son of David ,
king in Jerusalem .
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Vanity of vanities ,
saith the Preacher ,
vanity of vanities ;
all is vanity .
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What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun ?
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One generation passeth away ,
and another generation cometh :
but the earth abideth for ever .
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The sun also ariseth ,
and the sun goeth down ,
and hasteth to his place where he arose .
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The wind goeth toward the south ,
and turneth about unto the north ;
it whirleth about continually ,
and the wind returneth again according to his circuits .
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All the rivers run into the sea ;
yet the sea is not full ;
unto the place from whence the rivers come ,
thither they return again .
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All things are full of labour ;
man cannot utter it :
the eye is not satisfied with seeing ,
nor the ear filled with hearing .
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The thing that hath been ,
it is that which shall be ;
and that which is done is that which shall be done :
and there is no new thing under the sun .
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Is there any thing whereof it may be said ,
See ,
this is new ?
it hath been already of old time ,
which was before us .
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There is no remembrance of former things ;
neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after .
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I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem .
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And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven :
this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith .
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I have seen all the works that are done under the sun ;
and ,
behold ,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit .
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That which is crooked cannot be made straight :
and that which is wanting cannot be numbered .
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I 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 .
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And I gave my heart to know wisdom ,
and to know madness and folly :
I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit .
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For in much wisdom is much grief :
and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow .
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I said in mine heart ,
Go to now ,
I will prove thee with mirth ,
therefore enjoy pleasure :
and ,
behold ,
this also is vanity .
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I said of laughter ,
It is mad :
and of mirth ,
What doeth it ?
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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 .
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I made me great works ;
I builded me houses ;
I planted me vineyards :
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I made me gardens and orchards ,
and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits :
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I made me pools of water ,
to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees :
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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 :
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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 .
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So I was great ,
and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem :
also my wisdom remained with me .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly ,
as far as light excelleth darkness .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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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 .
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Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun .
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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 .
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For what hath man of all his labour ,
and of the vexation of his heart ,
wherein he hath laboured under the sun ?
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For all his days are sorrows ,
and his travail grief ;
yea ,
his heart taketh not rest in the night .
This is also vanity .
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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 .
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For who can eat ,
or who else can hasten hereunto ,
more than I ?
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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 .
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To every thing there is a season ,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven :
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A time to be born ,
and a time to die ;
a time to plant ,
and a time to pluck up that which is planted ;
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A time to kill ,
and a time to heal ;
a time to break down ,
and a time to build up ;
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A time to weep ,
and a time to laugh ;
a time to mourn ,
and a time to dance ;
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A time to cast away stones ,
and a time to gather stones together ;
a time to embrace ,
and a time to refrain from embracing ;
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A time to get ,
and a time to lose ;
a time to keep ,
and a time to cast away ;
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A time to rend ,
and a time to sew ;
a time to keep silence ,
and a time to speak ;
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A time to love ,
and a time to hate ;
a time of war ,
and a time of peace .
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What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth ?
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I have seen the travail ,
which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it .
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He 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 .
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I know that there is no good in them ,
but for a man to rejoice ,
and to do good in his life .
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And also that every man should eat and drink ,
and enjoy the good of all his labour ,
it is the gift of God .
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I 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 .
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That which hath been is now ;
and that which is to be hath already been ;
and God requireth that which is past .
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And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment ,
that wickedness was there ;
and the place of righteousness ,
that iniquity was there .
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I said in mine heart ,
God shall judge the righteous and the wicked :
for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work .
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I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men ,
that God might manifest them ,
and that they might see that they themselves are beasts .
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For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts ;
even one thing befalleth them :
as the one dieth ,
so dieth the other ;
yea ,
they have all one breath ;
so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast :
for all is vanity .
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All go unto one place ;
all are of the dust ,
and all turn to dust again .
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Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward ,
and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth ?
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Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better ,
than that a man should rejoice in his own works ;
for that is his portion :
for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him ?
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So I returned ,
and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun :
and behold the tears of such as were oppressed ,
and they had no comforter ;
and on the side of their oppressors there was power ;
but they had no comforter .
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Wherefore I praised the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive .
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Yea ,
better is he than both they ,
which hath not yet been ,
who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun .
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Again ,
I considered all travail ,
and every right work ,
that for this a man is envied of his neighbour .
This is also vanity and vexation of spirit .
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The fool foldeth his hands together ,
and eateth his own flesh .
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Better is an handful with quietness ,
than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit .
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Then I returned ,
and I saw vanity under the sun .
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There is one alone ,
and there is not a second ;
yea ,
he hath neither child nor brother :
yet is there no end of all his labour ;
neither is his eye satisfied with riches ;
neither saith he ,
For whom do I labour ,
and bereave my soul of good ?
This is also vanity ,
yea ,
it is a sore travail .
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Two are better than one ;
because they have a good reward for their labour .
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For if they fall ,
the one will lift up his fellow :
but woe to him that is alone when he falleth ;
for he hath not another to help him up .
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Again ,
if two lie together ,
then they have heat :
but how can one be warm alone ?
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And if one prevail against him ,
two shall withstand him ;
and a threefold cord is not quickly broken .
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Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king ,
who will no more be admonished .
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For out of prison he cometh to reign ;
whereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor .
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I considered all the living which walk under the sun ,
with the second child that shall stand up in his stead .
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There is no end of all the people ,
even of all that have been before them :
they also that come after shall not rejoice in him .
Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit .
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Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God ,
and be more ready to hear ,
than to give the sacrifice of fools :
for they consider not that they do evil .
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Be not rash with thy mouth ,
and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God :
for God is in heaven ,
and thou upon earth :
therefore let thy words be few .
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For a dream cometh through the multitude of business ;
and a fool '
s voice is known by multitude of words .
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When thou vowest a vow unto God ,
defer not to pay it ;
for he hath no pleasure in fools :
pay that which thou hast vowed .
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Better is it that thou shouldest not vow ,
than that thou shouldest vow and not pay .
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Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ;
neither say thou before the angel ,
that it was an error :
wherefore should God be angry at thy voice ,
and destroy the work of thine hands ?
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For in the multitude of dreams and many words there are also divers vanities :
but fear thou God .
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If thou seest the oppression of the poor ,
and violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province ,
marvel not at the matter :
for he that is higher than the highest regardeth ;
and there be higher than they .
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Moreover the profit of the earth is for all :
the king himself is served by the field .
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He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver ;
nor he that loveth abundance with increase :
this is also vanity .
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When goods increase ,
they are increased that eat them :
and what good is there to the owners thereof ,
saving the beholding of them with their eyes ?
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The sleep of a labouring man is sweet ,
whether he eat little or much :
but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep .
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There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun ,
namely ,
riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt .
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But those riches perish by evil travail :
and he begetteth a son ,
and there is nothing in his hand .
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As he came forth of his mother '
s womb ,
naked shall he return to go as he came ,
and shall take nothing of his labour ,
which he may carry away in his hand .
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And this also is a sore evil ,
that in all points as he came ,
so shall he go :
and what profit hath he that hath laboured for the wind ?
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All his days also he eateth in darkness ,
and he hath much sorrow and wrath with his sickness .
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Behold that which I have seen :
it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink ,
and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life ,
which God giveth him :
for it is his portion .
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Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth ,
and hath given him power to eat thereof ,
and to take his portion ,
and to rejoice in his labour ;
this is the gift of God .
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For he shall not much remember the days of his life ;
because God answereth him in the joy of his heart .
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There is an evil which I have seen under the sun ,
and it is common among men :
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A man to whom God hath given riches ,
wealth ,
and honour ,
so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth ,
yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof ,
but a stranger eateth it :
this is vanity ,
and it is an evil disease .
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If a man beget an hundred children ,
and live many years ,
so that the days of his years be many ,
and his soul be not filled with good ,
and also that he have no burial ;
I say ,
that an untimely birth is better than he .
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For he cometh in with vanity ,
and departeth in darkness ,
and his name shall be covered with darkness .
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Moreover he hath not seen the sun ,
nor known any thing :
this hath more rest than the other .
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Yea ,
though he live a thousand years twice told ,
yet hath he seen no good :
do not all go to one place ?
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All the labour of man is for his mouth ,
and yet the appetite is not filled .
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For what hath the wise more than the fool ?
what hath the poor ,
that knoweth to walk before the living ?
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Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire :
this is also vanity and vexation of spirit .
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That which hath been is named already ,
and it is known that it is man :
neither may he contend with him that is mightier than he .
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Seeing there be many things that increase vanity ,
what is man the better ?
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For who knoweth what is good for man in this life ,
all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow ?
for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun ?
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A good name is better than precious ointment ;
and the day of death than the day of one '
s birth .
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