The Futility of Pleasure 1 UEB I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with happiness. So enjoy pleasure." But look, this also was just a temporary breeze. BSB BSB: I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile.
2 UEB I said about laughter, "It is crazy," and about pleasure, "What use is it?" BSB BSB: I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
3 UEB I explored in my heart how to gratify my desires with wine. I let my mind guide me with wisdom although I was still holding on to folly. I wanted to find out what is good for people to do under heaven during the days of their lives. BSB BSB: I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 UEB I accomplished great things. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. BSB BSB: I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 UEB I built for myself gardens and parks; I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. BSB BSB: I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
6 UEB I created pools of water to water a forest where trees were grown. BSB BSB: I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
7 UEB I purchased male slaves and female slaves; I had slaves born in my palace. I also had large herds and flocks of livestock, much more than any king who ruled before me in Jerusalem. BSB BSB: I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,
8 UEB I also accumulated for myself silver and gold, the treasures of kings and provinces. I got male and female singers for myself—the delights of the children of humanity—and many concubines. BSB BSB: and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.
9 UEB So I became greater and wealthier than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me. BSB BSB: So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.
10 UEB Whatever my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, because my heart rejoiced in all my labor and pleasure was my reward for all my work. BSB BSB: Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.
11 UEB Then I looked on all the deeds that my hands had accomplished, and on the work that I had done, but again, everything was vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. There was no profit under the sun in it. BSB BSB: Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
The Wise and the Foolish 12 UEB Then I turned to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. For what can the next king do who comes after the king, which has not already been done? BSB BSB: Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?
13 UEB Then I began to understand that wisdom has advantages over folly, just as light is better than darkness. BSB BSB: And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
14 UEB The wise man uses his eyes in his head to see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness, although I know the same event happens to all of them. BSB BSB: The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.
15 UEB Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool, will also happen to me. So what difference does it make if I am very wise?" I concluded in my heart, "This too is only vapor." BSB BSB: So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?” And I said to myself that this too is futile.
16 UEB For the wise man, like the fool, is not remembered for very long. In the days to come everything will have been long forgotten. The wise man dies just like the fool dies. BSB BSB: For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!
17 UEB So I detested life because all the work done under the sun was evil to me. This was because everything is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. BSB BSB: So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Futility of Work 18 UEB I hated all my accomplishments for which I had worked under the sun because I must leave them behind to the man who comes after me. BSB BSB: I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
19 UEB For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over everything under the sun that my work and wisdom have built. This also is vapor. BSB BSB: And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
20 UEB Therefore my heart began to despair over all the work under the sun that I did. BSB BSB: So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.
21 UEB For there might be someone who works with wisdom, with knowledge, and skill, but he will leave everything he has to a man who has not made any of it. This also is vapor and a great tragedy. BSB BSB: When there is a man who has labored 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 evil.
22 UEB For what profit does the person gain who works so hard and tries in his heart to complete his labors under the sun? BSB BSB: For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?
23 UEB Every day his work is painful and stressful, so at night his soul does not find rest. This also is vapor. BSB BSB: Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.
24 UEB There is nothing better for anyone than to simply eat and drink and be satisfied with what is good in his work. I saw that this truth comes from God's hand. BSB BSB: Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.
25 UEB For who can eat or who can have any kind of pleasure apart from God? BSB BSB: For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment?
26 UEB For to anyone who pleases him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. However, to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and storing up so that he may give it away to someone who pleases God. This also amounts to vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. BSB BSB: To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.