| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. | 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 of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?" | 2I said about laughter, "It is madness," and about pleasure, "What does this accomplish?" |
| 3I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives. | 3I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life with wine and how to grasp folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom--until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven during the few days of their lives. |
| 4I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; | 4I increased my achievements. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. |
| 5I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; | 5I made gardens and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. |
| 6I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. | 6I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. |
| 7I bought male and female slaves and I had homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. | 7I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. |
| 8Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men-- many concubines. | 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. |
| 9Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. | 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 refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. | 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. |
| 11Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun. | 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. |
| 12So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? | 12Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He will do what has already been done. |
| 13And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. | 13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. |
| 14The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. | 14The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. |
| 15Then I said to myself, "As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?" So I said to myself, "This too is vanity." | 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 there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! | 16For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? |
| 17So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind. | 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. |
| 18Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. | 18I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. |
| 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man 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 vanity. | 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. |
| 20Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. | 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 man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. | 21When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. |
| 22For what does a man get in all his labor and in his striving with which he labors under the sun? | 22For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts that he labors at under the sun? |
| 23Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity. | 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 man than to eat and drink and tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. | 24There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy his work. I have seen that even this is from God's hand, |
| 25For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? | 25because who can eat and who can enjoy life apart from 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 vanity and striving after wind. | 26For to the man 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. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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