1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)
The Geneva Bible: A Cornerstone of English Protestantism A Testament to Reform The 1599 Geneva Bible... Read More
2 I said within myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to see what is good.” Yet behold, this too was meaningless. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness!” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I thought deeply about how to cheer my flesh with wine—letting my heart guide me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly, so that I could see what was worthwhile for the sons of men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.
4 I increased my possessions. I built myself houses and I planted myself vineyards. 5 I made royal gardens and parks for myself, and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I constructed for myself pools of water to irrigate a forest of flourishing trees. 7 I purchased male and female servants and had other servants who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than all my predecessors in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as the treasure of kings and the provinces. I acquired male and female singers for myself, as well as the luxuries of humankind—vaults and vaults of them. [a] 9 So I became far wealthier than all before me in Jerusalem, yet my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing that my eyes desired;
I withheld from my heart no enjoyment.
My heart took delight from all my toil—
this was my reward for all my labor.
11 Yet when I considered all that my hands had done
and the toil I had expended to accomplish it,
behold, it all was futile and chasing after the wind.
There was nothing to be gained under the sun.
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly. For what more can the one who succeeds the king do than what he has already done? 13 I realized that:
Wisdom is more beneficial than folly
as light is better than darkness.
14 A wise man has his eyes in his head,
while the fool walks in the darkness.
Yet, I also came to realize
that the same destiny befalls them both.
15 Then said I in my heart:
“I, even I, will have the same destiny as a fool.
So why have I become so wise?”
I said in my heart, “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise man, together with the fool,
is not remembered forever.
For in the days to come both will be forgotten.
Alas, the wise, just like the fool, must die!
17 And so I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. All is but vapor and chasing after the wind. 18 I also hated all the fruit of my toil for which I had labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the one who comes after me. 19 Who knows if he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my toil for which I had wisely labored under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I turned my heart over to despair over all the things for which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For sometimes a man, who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, must hand over as an inheritance to someone who did not work for it. This also is futile and a great misfortune. 22 For what does a man get for all his toil and longing of his heart for which he laborers under the sun? 23 For all his days, his work is pain and grief. Even at night his mind does not rest. This also is futility.
24 There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their labor. This too, I perceived, is from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have joy, apart from Him? 26 For to the one who pleases Him, He gives wisdom, knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating wealth to give it to one who pleases God. This also is only vapor and striving after the wind.
2 I said in my heart, `Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it [is] vanity. 2 Of laughter I said, `Foolish!' and of mirth, `What [is] this it is doing?' 3 I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take...
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2 Therefore I said in mine heart, I shall go, and I shall flow in delights, and I shall use goods; and I saw also that this was vanity. (And so I said in my heart, I shall go, and I shall enjoy all delights, and I shall enjoy all good things; and I saw that this was also empty and futile.) 2 And lau...
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2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;” and behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom...
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2 Teacher: I said to myself, “Let me dabble and test you in pleasure and see if there is any good in that.” But look, that, too, was fleeting. 2 Of laughter I said, “Foolishness.” Of pleasure, “And in the end what is accomplished?” 3 So I thought about drinking wine, for it soothes the flesh. But ...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me w...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me w...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me wi...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.’ But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, ‘It is mad’, and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’ 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me wi...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.’ But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, ‘It is mad’, and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’ 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me wi...
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The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity.(A)2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”(B)3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me ...
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The Futility of Pleasure2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And wh...
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Fun Is of No Worth2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with things that are fun. So have a good time.” But see, this also was for nothing. 2 I said of laughing, “It is crazy,” and of fun, “What use is it?” 3 I tried to find in my mind how to make my body happy with wine, yet at the same ...
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The Vanity of Pleasure(A)2 I said (B)in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with (C)mirth; [a]therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, (D)this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 (E)I searched in my heart how [b]to gratify my flesh with wine,...
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Pleasures are meaningless2 I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.’ But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 ‘Laughter,’ I said, ‘is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?’ 3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly – my mind still g...
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Pleasures Are Meaningless2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—my mind...
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Pleasure Is Meaningless2 I said to myself, “Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “And what can pleasure do for me?” 3 I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in...
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Does “Having Fun” Bring Happiness?2 I said to myself, “I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself.” But I found that this is also useless. 2 It is foolish to laugh all the time, and having fun doesn’t accomplish anything. 3 I decided to cheer myself up with wine while my mind was still thinking wi...
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Chapter 2What Good Is It To Be Successful?[a] 1 Then I said to myself, “All right, I will pursue pleasure and the enjoyment of good things.” However, this also proved to be vanity. 2 I regarded laughter as madness and pleasure as vanity. 3 Then, while my mind was guiding me with wisdom, I sought to ...
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