New King James Version (NKJV)

The Vanity of Pleasure

1 I saidin my heart, “Come now, I will test you withmirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely,this alsowasvanity.

2 I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”

3 I searched in my hearthowto gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see whatwasgood for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

4 I made my works great, I built myselfhouses, and planted myself vineyards.

5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted allkindsof fruit trees in them.

6 I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove.

7 I 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.

8 I 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,andmusical instruments of all kinds.

9 So I became great and excelledmore than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

10 Whatever 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;

# Andthis was my reward from all my labor.

11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done

And on the labor in which I had toiled;

# And indeed allwasvanity and grasping for the wind.

Therewasno profit under the sun.

The End of the Wise and the Fool

12 Then I turned myself to consider wisdomand madness and folly;

For whatcanthe mandowho succeeds the king?—

# Onlywhat he has alreadydone.

13 Then I saw that wisdomexcels folly

As light excels darkness.

14 The wise man’s eyesarein his head,

But the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I myself perceived

# Thatthe same event happens to them all.

15 So 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 alsoisvanity.”

16 Forthereisno more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,

Since all that nowiswill be forgotten in the days to come.

And how does a wisemandie?

As the fool!

17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sunwasdistressing to me, for allisvanity and grasping for the wind.

18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, becauseI must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19 And 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 alsoisvanity.

20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.

21 For there is a man whose laboriswith wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This alsoisvanity and a great evil.

22 For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?

23 For all his daysaresorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

24 Nothingisbetter for a manthanthat he should eat and drink, andthathis soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.

25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

26 ForGodgiveswisdom and knowledge and joy to a man whoisgood in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, thathe may give tohimwhoisgood before God. This alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.

Everything Has Its Time

1 To everythingthereisa season,

# Atime for every purpose under heaven:

2 A time to be born,

# Anda time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluckwhatisplanted;

3 A time to kill,

And a time to heal;

A time to break down,

And a time to build up;

4 A time toweep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

# A time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

7 A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

# A time to keep silence,

# And a time tospeak;

8 A time to love,

# And a time tohate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

9 What profit has the worker from that in which he labors?

10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except thatno one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

12 I know that nothingisbetter for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives,

13 and also thatevery man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—itisthe gift of God.

14 I know that whatever God does,

It shall be forever.

# Nothing can be added to it,

And nothing taken from it.

God doesit,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.

Injustice Seems to Prevail

16 MoreoverI saw under the sun:

Inthe place of judgment,

Wickednesswasthere;

Andinthe place of righteousness,

Iniquitywasthere.

17 I said in my heart,

# “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,

Forthereisa time there for every purpose and for every work.”

18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves arelikeanimals.”

19 For 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 allisvanity.

20 All go to one place:all are from the dust, and all return to dust.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

22 So I perceived that nothingisbetter than that a man should rejoice in his own works, forthatishis heritage.For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?

1 Then I returned and considered all theoppression that is done under the sun:

And look! The tears of the oppressed,

But they have no comforter—

On the side of their oppressorsthereispower,

But they have no comforter.

2 Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,

More than the living who are still alive.

3 Yet, better than bothishewho has never existed,

Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

The Vanity of Selfish Toil

4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.

5 The fool folds his hands

And consumes his own flesh.

6 Better a handfulwithquietness

Than both hands full,togetherwithtoil and grasping for the wind.

7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:

8 There is one alone, without companion:

He has neither son nor brother.

Yetthereisno end to all his labors,

# Nor is hiseye satisfied with riches.

# Buthe never asks,

# “For whom do I toil and deprive myself ofgood?”

This alsoisvanity and a grave misfortune.

The Value of a Friend

9 Twoarebetter than one,

Because they have a good reward for their labor.

10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.

But woe to himwhoisalone when he falls,

Forhehasno one to help him up.

11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;

But how can one be warmalone?

12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.

And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Popularity Passes Away

13 Better a poor and wise youth

Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.

14 For he comes out of prison to be king,

Although he was born poor in his kingdom.

15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun;

They were with the second youth who stands in his place.

16 Therewasno end of all the people over whom he was made king;

Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.

Surely this alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.

Fear God, Keep Your Vows

1 Walkprudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear ratherthan to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.

2 Do not berash with your mouth,

And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.

For Godisin heaven, and you on earth;

# Therefore let your wordsbe few.

3 For a dream comes through much activity,

# Anda fool’s voiceisknownbyhismany words.

4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay topay it;

ForHehasno pleasure in fools.

Pay what you have vowed—

5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.

6 Do not let yourmouth cause your flesh to sin,nor say before the messengerofGodthat itwasan error. Why should God be angry at your excuse and destroy the work of your hands?

7 For in the multitude of dreams and many wordsthereisalso vanity. Butfear God.

The Vanity of Gain and Honor

8 If yousee the oppression of the poor, and the violent perversion of justice and righteousness in a province, do not marvel at the matter; forhigh official watches over high official, and higher officials are over them.

9 Moreover the profit of the land is for all;eventhe king is served from the field.

10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;

Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.

This alsoisvanity.

11 When goods increase,

They increase who eat them;

So what profit have the owners

Except to seethemwith their eyes?

12 The sleep of a laboring manissweet,

Whether he eats little or much;

But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.

13 There is a severe evilwhichI have seen under the sun:

Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.

14 But those riches perish through misfortune;

When he begets a son,thereisnothing in his hand.

15 As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,

To go as he came;

And he shall take nothing from his labor

Which he may carry away in his hand.

16 And this alsoisa severe evil—

Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.

# Andwhat profit has hewho has labored for the wind?

17 All his dayshe also eats in darkness,

Andhehasmuch sorrow and sickness and anger.

18 Here is what I have seen:Itisgood and fittingforoneto eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him;for itishis heritage.

19 As forevery man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his heritage and rejoice in his labor—thisisthegift of God.

20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keepshimbusy with the joy of his heart.

1 Thereis an evil which I have seen under the sun, and itiscommon among men:

2 A man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor,so that he lacks nothing for himself of all he desires;yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a foreigner consumes it. Thisisvanity, and itisan evil affliction.

3 If a man begets a hundredchildrenand lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is not satisfied with goodness, orindeed he has no burial, I saythata stillborn childisbetter than he—

4 for it comes in vanity and departs in darkness, and its name is covered with darkness.

5 Though it has not seen the sun or knownanything,this has more rest than that man,

6 even if he lives a thousand years twice—but has not seen goodness. Do not all go to oneplace?

7 All the labor of manisfor his mouth,

And yet the soul is not satisfied.

8 For what more has the wisemanthan the fool?

What does the poor man have,

Who knowshowto walk before the living?

9 Betteristhesight of the eyes than the wandering of desire.

This alsoisvanity and grasping for the wind.

10 Whatever one is, he has been namedalready,

For it is known that heisman;

# And he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he.

11 Since there are many things that increase vanity,

Howisman the better?

12 For who knows whatisgood for man in life, all the days of his vain life which he passes likea shadow?Who can tell a man what will happen after him under the sun?

The Value of Practical Wisdom

1 Agood nameisbetter than precious ointment,

# And the day of death than the day of one’sbirth;

2 Better to go to the house of mourning

Than to go to the house of feasting,

For thatisthe end of all men;

# And the living will takeittoheart.

3 Sorrowisbetter than laughter,

# For by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

4 The heart of the wiseisin the house of mourning,

But the heart of foolsisin the house of mirth.

5 Itisbetter to hear the rebuke of the wise

Than for a man to hear the song of fools.

6 For like the crackling of thorns under a pot,

Soisthe laughter of the fool.

This also is vanity.

7 Surely oppression destroys a wiseman’sreason,

# And a bribe debases the heart.

8 The end of a thingisbetter than its beginning;

# The patient in spiritisbetter than the proud in spirit.

9 Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry,

For anger rests in the bosom of fools.

10 Do not say,

“Why were the former days better than these?”

For you do not inquire wisely concerning this.

11 Wisdomisgood with an inheritance,

# And profitableto those who see the sun.

12 For wisdomisadefenseasmoneyisa defense,

# But the excellence of knowledgeisthatwisdom giveslife to those who have it.

13 Consider the work of God;

# Forwho can make straight what He has made crooked?

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful,

But in the day of adversity consider:

Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,

So that man can find out nothingthatwillcomeafter him.

15 I have seen everything in my days of vanity:

# There is a justmanwho perishes in his righteousness,

And there is a wickedmanwho prolongslifein his wickedness.

16 Do not be overly righteous,

# Nor be overly wise:

Why should you destroy yourself?

17 Do not be overly wicked,

Nor be foolish:

# Why should you die before your time?

18 Itisgood that you grasp this,

And also not remove your hand from the other;

# For he whofears God will escape them all.

19 Wisdom strengthens the wise

More than ten rulers of the city.

20 Forthereisnot a just man on earth who does good

And does not sin.

21 Also do not take to heart everything people say,

Lest you hear your servant cursing you.

22 For many times, also, your own heart has known

That even you have cursed others.

23 All this I have proved by wisdom.

# I said, “I will be wise”;

But itwasfar from me.

24 As for that which is far off andexceedingly deep,

Who can find it out?

25 I applied my heart to know,

To search and seek out wisdom and the reasonofthings,

To know the wickedness of folly,

Even of foolishnessandmadness.

26 And I find more bitter than death

The woman whose heartissnares and nets,

Whose handsarefetters.

He who pleases God shall escape from her,

But the sinner shall be trapped by her.

27 Here is what I have found,” saysthe Preacher,

“Addingone thing to the other to find out the reason,

28 Which my soul still seeks but I cannot find:

# One man among a thousand I have found,

But a woman among all these I have not found.

29 Truly, this only I have found:

# That God made man upright,

# Butthey have sought out many schemes.”

1 Whoislike a wiseman?

And who knows the interpretation of a thing?

# A man’s wisdom makes his face shine,

# Andthe sternness of his face is changed.

Obey Authorities for God’s Sake

2 Isay,“Keep the king’s commandmentfor the sake of your oath to God.

3 Do not be hasty to go from his presence. Do not take your stand for an evil thing, for he does whatever pleases him.”

4 Where the word of a kingis, there ispower;

# Andwho may say to him, “What are you doing?”

5 He who keeps his command will experience nothing harmful;

And a wise man’s heart discerns both time and judgment,

6 Becausefor every matter there is a time and judgment,

Though the misery of man increases greatly.

7 For he does not know what will happen;

So who can tell him when it will occur?

8 No one has power over the spirit to retain the spirit,

And no one has power in the day of death.

# Thereisno release from that war,

And wickedness will not deliver those who are given to it.

9 All this I have seen, and applied my heart to every work that is done under the sun:Thereisa time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

Death Comes to All

10 Then I saw the wicked buried, who had come and gone from the place of holiness, and they wereforgotten in the city where they had so done. This alsoisvanity.

11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.

12 Though a sinner does evil a hundredtimes,and hisdaysare prolonged, yet I surely know thatit will be well with those who fear God, who fear before Him.

13 But it will not be well with the wicked; nor will he prolonghisdays,whichareas a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

14 There is a vanity which occurs on earth, that there are justmento whom ithappens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wickedmento whom it happens according to the work of therighteous. I said that this alsoisvanity.

15 So I commended enjoyment, because a man has nothing better under the sun than to eat, drink, and be merry; for this will remain with him in his laborallthe days of his life which God gives him under the sun.

16 When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to see the business that is done on earth, even though one sees no sleep day or night,

17 then I saw all the work of God, thata man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun. For though a man labors to discoverit,yet he will not findit;moreover, though a wisemanattempts to knowit,he will not be able to findit.

1 For I considered all this in my heart, so that I could declare it all:that the righteous and the wise and their worksarein the hand of God. People know neither love nor hatredbyanythingtheyseebefore them.

2 All thingscomealike to all:

One eventhappensto the righteous and the wicked;

To the good, the clean, and the unclean;

To him who sacrifices and him who does not sacrifice.

As is the good, soisthe sinner;

He who takes an oath ashewho fears an oath.

3 Thisisan evil in all that is done under the sun: that one thinghappensto all. Truly the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil; madnessisin their hearts while they live, and after thattheygoto the dead.

4 But for him who is joined to all the living there is hope, for a living dog is better than a dead lion.

5 For the living know that they will die;

# Butthe dead know nothing,

And they have no more reward,

# Forthe memory of them is forgotten.

6 Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished;

Nevermore will they have a share

In anything done under the sun.

7 Go,eat your bread with joy,

And drink your wine with a merry heart;

For God has already accepted your works.

8 Let your garments always be white,

And let your head lack no oil.

9 Live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity;for thatisyour portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun.

10 Whatever your hand finds to do, doitwith yourmight; forthereisno work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going.

11 I returnedand saw under the sun that—

The raceisnot to the swift,

Nor the battle to the strong,

Nor bread to the wise,

Nor riches to men of understanding,

Nor favor to men of skill;

# But time andchance happen to them all.

12 Forman also does not know his time:

Like fish taken in a cruel net,

Like birds caught in a snare,

# So the sons of menaresnared in an evil time,

When it falls suddenly upon them.

Wisdom Superior to Folly

13 This wisdom I have also seen under the sun, and itseemedgreat to me:

14 Therewasa little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it.

15 Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man.

16 Then I said:

# “Wisdomisbetter thanstrength.

# Neverthelessthe poor man’s wisdomisdespised,

And his words are not heard.

17 Words of the wise,spokenquietly,shouldbeheard

Rather than the shout of a ruler of fools.

18 Wisdomisbetter than weapons of war;

# Butone sinner destroys much good.”

1 Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment,

And cause it to give off a foul odor;

Sodoesa little folly to one respected for wisdomandhonor.

2 A wise man’s heartisat his right hand,

But a fool’s heart at his left.

3 Even when a fool walks along the way,

He lacks wisdom,

# And he shows everyonethatheisa fool.

4 If the spirit of the ruler rises against you,

# Do not leave your post;

# Forconciliation pacifies great offenses.

5 There is an evil I have seen under the sun,

As an error proceeding from the ruler:

6 Folly is set in great dignity,

While the rich sit in a lowly place.

7 I have seen servantson horses,

While princes walk on the ground like servants.

8 He who digs a pit will fall into it,

And whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent.

9 He who quarries stones may be hurt by them,

Andhe who splits wood may be endangered by it.

10 If the ax is dull,

And one does not sharpen the edge,

Then he must use more strength;

But wisdom brings success.

11 A serpent may bitewhenitisnot charmed;

The babbler is no different.

12 The words of a wise man’s moutharegracious,

# Butthe lips of a fool shall swallow him up;

13 The words of his mouth begin with foolishness,

And the end of his talkisraving madness.

14 A fool also multiplies words.

No man knows what is to be;

# Who can tell himwhat will be after him?

15 The labor of fools wearies them,

For they do not even know how to go to the city!

16 Woe to you, O land, when your kingisa child,

And your princes feast in the morning!

17 Blessedareyou, O land, when your kingisthe son of nobles,

# And yourprinces feast at the proper time—

For strength and not for drunkenness!

18 Because of laziness the building decays,

# Andthrough idleness of hands the house leaks.

19 A feast is made for laughter,

# Andwine makes merry;

But money answers everything.

20 Do not curse the king, even in your thought;

Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom;

For a bird of the air may carry your voice,

And a bird in flight may tell the matter.

The Value of Diligence

1 Cast your breadupon the waters,

# For you will find it after many days.

2 Give a servingto seven, and also to eight,

# For you do not know what evil will be on the earth.

3 If the clouds are full of rain,

They emptythemselvesupon the earth;

And if a tree falls to the south or the north,

In the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie.

4 He who observes the wind will not sow,

And he who regards the clouds will not reap.

5 Asyou do not know whatisthe way of the wind,

# Orhow the bonesgrowin the womb of her who is with child,

So you do not know the works of God who makes everything.

6 In the morning sow your seed,

And in the evening do not withhold your hand;

For you do not know which will prosper,

Either this or that,

Or whether both alikewillbegood.

7 Truly the light is sweet,

# Anditispleasant for the eyesto behold the sun;

8 But if a man lives many years

# Andrejoices in them all,

# Yet let himremember the days of darkness,

For they will be many.

All that is comingisvanity.

Seek God in Early Life

9 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth,

And let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth;

# Walk in the ways of your heart,

And in the sight of your eyes;

But know that for all these

# God will bring you into judgment.

10 Therefore remove sorrow from your heart,

# Andput away evil from your flesh,

# For childhood and youtharevanity.