The Vanity of Selfish Toil

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.

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And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one person’s envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(A)

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12 not as (A)Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous.

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12 Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one(A) and murdered his brother.(B) And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous.(C)

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14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

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14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(A)

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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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit. portion

21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

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26 For God gives (A)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 (B)he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

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26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(A) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(B) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(C) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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29 and Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David’s enemy [a]continually. 30 Then the princes of the Philistines (A)went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David (B)behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:29 all the days

29 Saul became still more afraid(A) of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

30 The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success(B) than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known.

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14 And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and (A)the Lord was with him. 15 Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. 16 But (B)all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.

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14 In everything he did he had great success,(A) because the Lord was with(B) him. 15 When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. 16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.(C)

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Then Saul was very angry, and the saying (A)displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but (B)the kingdom?” So Saul [a]eyed David from that day forward.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Samuel 18:9 Viewed with suspicion

Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?(A) And from that time on Saul kept a close(B) eye on David.

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18 For he knew that they had handed Him over because of (A)envy.

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18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

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11 Since there are many things that increase vanity,
How is man the better?

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11 The more the words,
    the less the meaning,
    and how does that profit anyone?

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Better is [a]the (A)sight of the eyes than the wandering of [b]desire.
This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 6:9 What the eyes see
  2. Ecclesiastes 6:9 Lit. soul

Better what the eye sees
    than the roving of the appetite.
This too is meaningless,
    a chasing after the wind.(A)

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16 There was no end of all the people [a]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.

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 4:16 Lit. to all before whom he was to be

16 There was no end to all the people who were before them. But those who came later were not pleased with the successor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent,
But (A)who is able to stand before jealousy?

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Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming,
    but who can stand before jealousy?(A)

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