Ecclesiastes 2:17-5:7
New King James Version
17 Therefore 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.
18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because (A)I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And 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. 20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his [a]heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 (B)For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23 For all his days are (C)sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24 (D)Nothing 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. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, [b]more than I? 26 For God gives (E)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 (F)he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Everything Has Its Time
3 To everything there is a season,
A (G)time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time [c]to be born,
And (H)a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3 A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4 A time to (I)weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
(J)A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
(K)A time to keep silence,
And a time to (L)speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to (M)hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
The God-Given Task
9 (N)What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 (O)I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that (P)no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is (Q)better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that (R)every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
(S)Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 (T)That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God [d]requires an account of [e]what is past.
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16 Moreover (U)I saw under the sun:
In the place of [f]judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
[g]Iniquity was there.
17 I said in my heart,
(V)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every [h]purpose and for every work.”
18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19 (W)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: (X)all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 (Y)Who[i] knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 22 (Z)So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for (AA)that is his [j]heritage. (AB)For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
The Uselessness of Selfish Toil
4 Then I returned and considered all the (AC)oppression that is done under the sun:
And look! The tears of the oppressed,
But they have no comforter—
[k]On the side of their oppressors there is power,
But they have no comforter.
2 (AD)Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead,
More than the living who are still alive.
3 (AE)Yet, better than both is he who has never existed,
Who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.
The Vanity of Selfish Toil
4 Again, I saw that for all toil and every skillful work a man is envied by his neighbor. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
5 (AF)The fool folds his hands
And consumes his own flesh.
6 (AG)Better a handful with quietness
Than both hands full, together with toil and grasping for the wind.
7 Then I returned, and I saw vanity under the sun:
8 There is one alone, without [l]companion:
He has neither son nor brother.
Yet there is no end to all his labors,
Nor is his (AH)eye satisfied with riches.
But (AI)he never asks,
“For whom do I toil and deprive myself of (AJ)good?”
This also is vanity and a [m]grave misfortune.
The Value of a Friend
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Popularity Passes Away
13 Better a poor and wise youth
Than an old and foolish king who will be admonished no more.
14 For he comes out of prison to be king,
Although [n]he was born poor in his kingdom.
15 I saw all the living who walk under the sun;
They were with the second youth who stands in his place.
16 There was no end of all the people [o]over whom he was made king;
Yet those who come afterward will not rejoice in him.
Surely this also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Fear God, Keep Your Vows
5 Walk (AK)prudently when you go to the house of God; and draw near to hear rather (AL)than to give the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they do evil.
2 Do not be (AM)rash with your mouth,
And let not your heart utter anything hastily before God.
For God is in heaven, and you on earth;
Therefore let your words (AN)be few.
3 For a dream comes through much activity,
And (AO)a fool’s voice is known by his many words.
4 (AP)When you make a vow to God, do not delay to (AQ)pay it;
For He has no pleasure in fools.
Pay what you have vowed—
5 (AR)Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.
6 Do not let your (AS)mouth cause your flesh to sin, (AT)nor say before the messenger of God that it was an error. Why should God be angry at your [p]excuse and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For in the multitude of dreams and many words there is also vanity. But (AU)fear God.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit. portion
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. without Him
- Ecclesiastes 3:2 Lit. to bear
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Lit. seeks
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 what is pursued
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 justice
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 Wickedness
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 desire
- Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
- Ecclesiastes 3:22 portion or lot
- Ecclesiastes 4:1 Lit. At the hand
- Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. a second
- Ecclesiastes 4:8 Lit. evil task
- Ecclesiastes 4:14 The youth
- Ecclesiastes 4:16 Lit. to all before whom he was to be
- Ecclesiastes 5:6 Lit. voice
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
