1 GLT I said, I in my heart,“Come, let me test you in joy and examine good.” But look, it also{ was} vapor. 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 GLT To laughter, I said,“{ It is} madness,” and to joy,“What is this doing?” BSB BSB: I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”
3 GLT I explored in my heart{ how} to drag my flesh with wine— but my heart was guiding{ me} in wisdom— and{ how} to grasp folly until I could see whether this{ is} good for the sons of humanity that they might do under the heavens{ during} the number of 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 GLT I enlarged my deeds. I built for myself houses. I planted for myself vineyards. BSB BSB: I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
5 GLT I made for myself gardens and royal parks and I planted in them a tree of each fruit. BSB BSB: I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.
6 GLT I made for myself pools of waters to cause to drink from them a forest of growing trees. BSB BSB: I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.
7 GLT I acquired{ male} servants and female servants and sons of the house belonged to me. Also much property of cattle and sheep belonged to me, more than all who were to my face 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 GLT I also amassed for myself silver and gold and treasure of kings and the provinces. I appointed for myself{ male} singers and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of humanity: breast and breasts. 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 GLT And I was great, and I added more than all who were to my face in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom stood by me. BSB BSB: So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.
10 GLT And all that my eyes asked, I did not refuse from them. I did not restrain my heart from any joy, because my heart{ was} joyful from all my toil and this was my portion from all my toil. 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 GLT And I turned, I, to all my works that my hands had done and to{ the} toil that I toiled to do and look, everything{ was} vapor and striving{ after} wind, and there was no profit under the sun. 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.
12 GLT And I turned, I, to see wisdom and madness and folly, because what{ is} the person{ to do} who will come after the king? That which{ is} already, they have done it. 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 GLT And I saw, I, that there is a profit for wisdom more than folly, as{ there is} a profit of the light over the darkness. BSB BSB: And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:
14 GLT The wise, his eyes{ are} in his head, but the fool in the darkness is walking, and I know, even I, that one happening will happen to both 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 GLT And I said, I in my heart,“As{ the} happening of the fool, also{ to} me, it will happen to me. And why was I myself wise back then, abundantly?” And I said in my heart that also this{ is} 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 GLT For there is no remembrance of the wise{ person} with the fool in perpetuity, because already{ in} the days{ that} have come both{ are} forgotten— and how will the wise die with the fool? 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 GLT And I hated life because of{ the} misfortune around me— the work that was done under the sun— because everything{ was} vapor and striving{ after} 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.
18 GLT And I hated, I, all my toil that I had toiled under the sun that I will leave it to the person who will be 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 GLT And who knows: will he be wise or a fool? And he will have authority over all my toil that I have toiled and{ for} which I have acted wisely under the sun. Also this{ 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 GLT And I turned, I, to cause my heart to despair concerning all the toil which I toiled under the sun. BSB BSB: So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.
21 GLT For there is a person whose toil{ is} in wisdom and in knowledge and in skill, but to a person who has not toiled in it, he will give it{ as} his portion. This also{ is} vapor and a great misfortune. 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 GLT For what endures for the person in exchange for all his toil and in the striving of his heart{ in} which he{ is} a toiler 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 GLT Because all his days{ are} pains, and anger{ is} his business, even in the night, his heart does not rest. Also this— it{ 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 GLT There is no good for humanity{ except} that he will eat and drink and cause his spirit to see good in his toil. Also this I saw, I, that it{ is} from the hand of the God. 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 GLT For who will eat and who will enjoy apart from him? BSB BSB: For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment?
26 GLT For to a person who is good to his face, he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner he gives{ the} business to gather and to collect to give to{ the} one who is good to the face of God. This also{ is} vapor and striving{ after} 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.