| New American Standard Bible 1995 | International Standard Version |
| 1I said to myself, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself." And behold, it too was futility. | 1I told myself, "I will test you with pleasure, so enjoy yourself." But this was pointless. |
| 2I said of laughter, "It is madness," and of pleasure, "What does it accomplish?" | 2"Senseless," said I concerning laughter and pleasure, "How practical is this?" |
| 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 decided to indulge in wine, while still remaining committed to wisdom. I also tried to indulge in foolishness, just enough to determine whether it was good for human beings under heaven given the short time of their lives. |
| 4I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; | 4With respect to my extravagant works, I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. |
| 5I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; | 5I constructed gardens and orchards for myself, and within them I planted all kinds of fruit trees. |
| 6I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. | 6I built for myself water reservoirs to irrigate forests that produce 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 slaves, and had other slaves born in my house. I also acquired for myself increasing numbers of herds and flocks—more than anyone who had lived 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 accumulated silver, gold, and the wealth of kings and their kingdoms. I gathered around me both male and female singers, along with what delights a man—all sorts of mistresses. |
| 9Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. | 9So I became great, greater than anyone who had lived before me in Jerusalem. Throughout all of this, I remained wise. |
| 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. | 10Whenever I wanted something I had seen, I never refused that desire. Instead, I enjoyed everything I did, and this became the reward in what I had undertaken. |
| 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. | 11Then I examined all of my accomplishments that I had brought about by my own efforts, including the work that I had labored so hard to complete—and it was all pointless, like chasing after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained on earth. |
| 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? | 12Next I turned to examine wisdom, insanity, and foolishness, because what can a person do who succeeds the king except what has already been accomplished? |
| 13And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. | 13I concluded that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than 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 use their eyes, but the fool walks in darkness. I also perceived that the same outcome affects them all. |
| 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." | 15Then I told myself, "Whatever happens to the fool will happen also to me. Therefore what's the point in being so wise?" And I told myself that this also is pointless. |
| 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 neither the wise nor the fool will be long remembered, since in days to come everything will be forgotten. The wise man dies the same way as the fool, does he not? |
| 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. | 17So I hated life, because whatever is done on earth causes me trouble—it's all pointless, like chasing after 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. | 18Then I despised everything I had worked for on earth, that is, the things that I will leave to the person who will succeed 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 wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless. |
| 20Therefore I completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. | 20So I came to be in despair about everything I had accomplished on earth. |
| 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. | 21For sometimes people who strive to obtain wisdom, knowledge, and equity leave everything as an inheritance to a person who never worked for it. This, too, is pointless and greatly troublesome. |
| 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 person gain from everything that he accomplishes and from his inner life struggles that he undergoes while working on earth? |
| 23Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity. | 23Indeed, all of his days are filled with sorrow, and his struggles bring grief. In fact, his mind remains restless throughout the night. This is pointless, too! |
| 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. | 24The only worthwhile thing for a human being is to eat, drink, and enjoy life's goodness that he finds in what he accomplishes. This, I observed, is also from the hand of God himself, |
| 25For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without Him? | 25for who can eat or 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. | 26After all, to the person who is good in God's sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after 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 | The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
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