| New King James Version | King James Bible |
| 1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. | 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 of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” | 2I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it? |
| 3I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the 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 made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. | 4I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards: |
| 5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. | 5I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: |
| 6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. | 6I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: |
| 7I 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. | 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 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, and musical instruments of all kinds. | 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 excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. | 9So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me. |
| 10Whatever 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; And this was my reward from all my labor. | 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. |
| 11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done And on the labor in which I had toiled; And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit 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 myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?— Only what he has already 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. |
| 13Then I saw that wisdom excels folly As light excels darkness. | 13Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. |
| 14The wise man’s eyes are in his head, But the fool walks in darkness. Yet I myself perceived That the same event happens to them all. | 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 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 also is vanity.” | 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 there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As 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 all is vanity and grasping for 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. |
| 18Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come 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 rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. | 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. |
| 20Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. | 20Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. |
| 21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. | 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 has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled 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 sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. | 23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity. |
| 24Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. | 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. |
| 25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? | 25For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? |
| 26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for 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 Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | King James Bible, text courtesy of BibleProtector.com. |
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