Ecclesiastes

Ecclesiastes 2

1The vanity which the Preacher found in the pursuits of pleasure. 12Wisdom excelleth folly, yet a like event happeneth to both. 18The vanity of human labour, the fruit of which must soon be left to a man knoweth not whom. 24Nothing better than a cheerful use of what a man hath gotten; but that is the gift of God to the good only.

1I ^aSAID in mine heart, Go to now, ^bI will ^*prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

a Lu. 12.19,20. ch. 1.16,17. b ch. 8.15; 11.9. Is. 50.11. Ja. 5.5. Tit. 3.3.

2I ^csaid of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

c Am. 6.3,6. Pr. 14.13. ch. 7.2-6.

3^dI sought in mine heart to ¹give myself unto wine, yet ^eacquainting 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 ²the days of their life.

d Pr. 20.1. 1Sa. 25.36. ch. 1.17. e 1Ki. 18.21. Mat. 6.24. v.9.

4^fI made me great works; ^gI builded me houses; ^hI planted me vineyards:

f Ge. 11.4. Da. 4.30. g 1Ki. 7.1-12; 9.1,15-19. Ps. 49.11. Job 21.21. h Ca. 1.14; 8.11; 7.12.

5ⁱI made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

i Je. 39.4. 1Ki. 4.33. Ca. 4.12-16; 5.1; 6.2.

6^jI made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

j Ne. 2.14. Ca. 7.4.

7^kI got me servants and maidens, and had ³servants born in my house; ^lalso I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

k 1Ki. 4.26,27. Ezr. 2.58. l 1Ch. 27.29-31. Job 1.3; 42.12. 2Ki. 3.4.

8^mI gathered me also silver and gold, and the ^*peculiar treasure of kings and of the ⁿprovinces: ^oI ^*gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as ⁴musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

m 1Ki. 9.14,28; 10.10,14,21,22,27. n 1Ki. 20.14. o 2Sa. 19.35. Ezr. 2.65.

9So ^pI was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also ^qmy wisdom remained with me.

p ch. 1.16. 1Ki. 3.12,13; 4.30; 10.7,23. q v.3.

10And ^rwhatsoever 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.

r ch. 11.9; 3.22; 5.18; 9.9. Ju. 14.2. v.24. Ps. 128.2.

11Then ^sI looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, ^tall was vanity and ^*vexation of spirit, and ^uthere was no profit under the sun.

s 1Jn. 2.16,17. v.1,17,19,21-23,26. ch. 1.2,3,14; 3.10; 4.4,16; 5.13; 6.2. t ch. 1.14; 11.8. u 1Ti. 6.6.

12¶And ^vI turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? ⁵even that which hath been already done.

v ch. 1.17; 7.25.

13^wThen I saw ⁶that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

w Pr. 1-9; 10.1; 14.1. ch. 7.4-6,12. Mal. 3.18; 4.1,2.

14The ^xwise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also ^ythat one event happeneth to them all.

x Pr. 17.24. ch. 8.1; 10.2,3. y Ps. 49.10. ch. 9.2,3,11; 6.8.

15Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it ⁷happeneth even to me; and ^zwhy was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.

z 1Ki. 3.12; 4.31. ch. 6.8,11; 7.11,16; 12.9,12.

16For ^athere 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 ^bhow dieth the wise man? as the fool.

a Ex. 1.6,8. ch. 1.11; 9.1-3. Ps. 103.16; 88.12; 49.10. 2Sa. 3.33. b He. 9.27.

17Therefore ^cI hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for ^dall is vanity and ^*vexation of spirit.

c Job 7.15,16. 1Ki. 19.4,10,14. Jonah 4.3,8. Phi. 1.23. 2Co. 5.2-4. d v.11. ch. 1.14.

18¶Yea, I hated ^eall my labour which I had ⁸taken under the sun: because ^fI should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

e ch. 1.13. v.1-12. f Ps. 49.10; 17.14. 2Co. 12.14. ch. 5.13.

19And who knoweth ^gwhether 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 ^hvanity.

g 1Ki. 12.8,14. 2Ch. 10.14. ch. 3.22. Ps. 39.6. h Lu. 8.14. 1Ti. 6.10.

20Therefore I went about ⁱto cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

i ch. 1.14; 12.1. Ro. 6.21.

21For ^jthere is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in ^kequity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he ⁹leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

j v.18,19. k ch. 4.4; 5.11.

22^lFor what hath man of all his labour, and of the ^*vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

l Mat. 16.26. ch. 1.3; 3.9; 5.10,11,17; 6.8.

23^mFor all his days are sorrows, and his ^*travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

m Job 5.7; 14.1. Ac. 14.22. Ps. 90.7-10; 127.2; 139.5-11. Ge. 47.9. ch. 8.16.

24¶There is ⁿnothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he ¹⁰should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that ^oit was from the hand of God.

n ch. 3.12,13,22; 5.18; 8.15; 9.7; 11.9. Lu. 12.19. 1Co. 15.32. o Le. 26.5. De. 8.17,18. Ho. 2.8,9. ch. 5.18,19.

25For ^pwho can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto , more than I?

p 1Ki. 4.21-31. ch. 6.1,2. v.1-12.

26^qFor God giveth to a man that is good ¹¹in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth ^*travail, to gather and to heap up, that ^rhe may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and ^*vexation of spirit.

q Le. 26. De. 28. Is. 3.10,11. Ro. 2.7-11. Job 18; 20; 22. r Job 27.16,17. Pr. 13.22; 28.8.