| Christian Standard Bible | King James Bible |
| 1I said to myself, "Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good." But it turned out to be futile. | 1I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. |
| 2I said about laughter, "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?" | 2I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? |
| 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. | 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 increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. | 4I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: |
| 5I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. | 5I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: |
| 6I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. | 6I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth 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. | 7I 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: |
| 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. | 8I 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. |
| 9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; my wisdom also remained with me. | 9So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom 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. | 10And 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. | 13Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth 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. | 14The 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. |
| 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. | 15Then 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. |
| 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? | 16For 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| 18I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me. | 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. |
| 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. | 19And 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. |
| 20So I began to give myself over to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. | 20Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took 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. | 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 does a person get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? | 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 filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile. | 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 person than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God's hand, | 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. |
| 25because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from him? | 25For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? |
| 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. | 26For 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. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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