Beginning
5 1 Not to speak lightly, chiefly in God’s matters. 9 The covetous can never have enough. 11 The laborer’s sleep is sweet. 14 Man when he dieth, taketh nothing with him. 18 To live joyfully, and with a contented mind, is the gift of God.
1 Be not [a]rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hasty to utter a thing before God: for God is in the heavens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy words be [b]few.
2 For as a dream cometh by the multitude of business: so the voice of a fool is in the multitude of words.
3 (A)When thou hast vowed a vow to God, defer not to pay it: for he delighteth not in fools: pay therefore that thou hast [c]vowed.
4 It is better that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.
5 Suffer not thy mouth to make thy [d]flesh to sin: neither say before the [e]Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God be angry by thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands?
6 For in the multitude of dreams, and vanities are also many words: but fear thou God.
7 If in a country thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the defrauding of judgment and justice, be not astonied at the matter: for he that is [f]higher than the highest, regardeth, and there be higher than they.
8 And the [g]abundance of the earth is over all: the king [h]also consisteth by the field that is tilled.
9 He that loveth silver, shall not be satisfied with silver, and he that loveth riches, shall be without the fruit thereof: this is also vanity.
10 When goods increase, they are increased that eat them: and what good cometh to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?
11 The sleep of him that travaileth, is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the [i]satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.
12 There is an evil sickness that I have seen under the sun: to wit, riches [j]reserved to the owners thereof for their evil.
13 And these riches perish by evil travail, and he begetteth a son, and in his [k]hand is nothing.
14 (B)As he came forth of his mother’s belly, he shall return naked to go as he came, and shall bear away nothing of his labor, which he hath caused to pass by his hand.
15 And this also is an evil sickness, that in all points as he came, so shall he go, and what profit hath he that he hath travailed for the [l]wind?
16 Also all his days he eateth in [m]darkness with much grief, and in his sorrow and anger.
17 Behold then, what I have seen good, that it is comely to [n]eat, and to drink, and to take pleasure in all his labor, wherein he travaileth under the sun, the whole number of the days of his life, which God giveth him: for this is his portion.
18 Also to every man to whom God hath given riches and treasures, and giveth him power to eat thereof, and to take his part, and to enjoy his labor: this is the gifts of God.
19 Surely he will not much remember the days of his [o]life, because God answereth to the joy of his heart.
6 The miserable estate of him to whom God hath given riches, and not the grace to use them.
1 There is an evil, which I saw under the sun, and it is much among men:
2 A man to whom God hath given riches and treasures and honor, and he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth: but [p]God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a strange man shall eat it up: this is vanity, and this is an evil sickness.
3 If a man beget an hundred children and live many years, and the days of his years be multiplied: and his soul be not [q]satisfied with good things, and he be not [r]buried, I say that an untimely fruit is better than he.
4 For [s]he cometh into vanity, and goeth into darkness: and his name shall be covered with darkness.
5 Also he hath not seen the sun, nor known it: therefore this hath more rest than the other.
6 And if he had lived a thousand years twice told, and had seen no good, shall not all go to one place?
7 All the labor of man is for his mouth: yet the [t]soul is not filled.
8 For what hath the wise man more than the fool? what hath the poor that [u]knoweth how to walk before the living?
9 The [v]sight of the eye is better than to walk in the lusts: this also is vanity, and vexation of spirit.
10 What is that that hath been? the name thereof is now named: and it is known that it is man: and he cannot strive with him that is [w]stronger than he.
7 Divers precepts to follow that which is good, and to avoid the contrary.
1 Surely there be many things that increase vanity, and what availeth it a man?
2 For who knoweth what is [x]good for man in the life, and in the number of the days of the life of his vanity, seeing he maketh them as a (C)shadow? for who can show unto man what shall be after him under the sun?
3 (D)A good name is better than a good ointment, and the day of [y]death, than the day that one is born.
4 It is better to go to the house of [z]mourning, than to go to the house of feasting, because this is the end of all men: and the living shall lay it to his heart.
5 Anger is better than laughter: for by a sad look the heart is made better.
6 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.
7 Better it is to hear the rebuke of a wise man, than that a man should hear the song of fools.
8 For like the noise of the [aa]thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.
9 Surely oppression maketh a wise man [ab]mad: and the reward destroyeth the heart.
10 The [ac]end of a thing is better than the beginning thereof, and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.
11 Be not thou of an hasty spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
12 Say not thou, Why is it that the former days were better than these? for thou dost not inquire [ad]wisely of this thing.
13 Wisdom is good with an [ae]inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sun.
14 For man shall rest in the shadow of wisdom, and in the shadow of silver: but the excellency of the knowledge of wisdom giveth life to the possessors thereof.
15 Behold the work of God; for who can make (E)straight that which he hath made crooked?
16 In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction [af]consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man should find [ag]nothing after him.
17 I have seen all things in the days of my vanity: there is a just man that perisheth in his [ah]justice, and there is a wicked man that continueth long in his malice.
18 Be not thou just [ai]overmuch, neither make thyself overwise: wherefore shouldest thou be desolate?
19 Be not thou wicked [aj]overmuch, neither be thou foolish: wherefore shouldest thou perish not in thy time?
20 It is good that thou lay hold on [ak]this: but yet withdraw not thine hand from [al]that: for he that feareth God shall come forth of them all.
21 Wisdom shall strengthen the wise men more than ten mighty princes that are in the city.
22 (F)Surely there is no man just in the earth that doeth good and sinneth not.
23 Give not thine [am]heart also to all the words that men speak, lest thou do hear thy servant cursing thee.
24 For oftentimes also thine heart knoweth that thou likewise hast [an]cursed others.
25 All this have I proved by wisdom: I thought, I will be wise, but it went far from me.
26 It is far off, what may [ao]it be? and it is a profound deepness, who can find it?
27 I have compassed about, both I and mine heart to know and to inquire and to search wisdom, and reason, and to know the wickedness of folly, and the foolishness of madness,
28 And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is as nets and snares, and her hands as bands: he that is good before God, shall be delivered from her, but the sinner shall be taken by her.
29 Behold, saith the Preacher, this have I found, seeking one by one to [ap]find the count:
30 And yet my soul seeketh, but I find it not. I have found one man of a thousand: but a woman among them all have I not found.
31 Only lo, this have I found, that God hath made man righteous: but they have sought many [aq]inventions.
8 2 To obey Princes and Magistrates. 17 The works of God pass man’s knowledge.
1 Who is as the wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? the wisdom of a man doth make his face [ar]to shine: and [as]the strength of his face shall be changed.
2 I advertise thee to take heed to the [at]mouth of the king, and to the word of the oath of God.
3 [au]Haste not to go forth of his sight: stand not in an evil thing: for he will do whatsoever pleaseth him.
4 Where the word of the King is, there is power, and who shall say unto him, What doest thou?
5 He that keepeth the commandment, shall know none evil thing, and the heart of the wise shall know the [av]time, and judgment.
6 For to every purpose there is a time and judgment, because the [aw]misery of man is great upon him.
7 For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it shall be?
8 Man is not Lord [ax]over the spirit to retain the spirit: neither hath he power in the day of death, nor deliverance in the battle, neither shall wickedness deliver the possessors thereof.
9 All this have I seen, and have given mine heart to every work which is wrought under the sun, and I saw a time that man ruleth over man to his own [ay]hurt.
10 And likewise I saw the wicked buried, and [az]they returned, and they that came from the holy [ba]place, were yet forgotten in the city, where they had done right: this also is vanity.
11 Because sentence against an evil work is not [bb]executed speedily, therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil.
12 Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and God prolongeth his days, yet I know that it shall be well with them that fear the Lord, and do reverence before him.
13 But it shall not be well to the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days: he shall be like a shadow, because he feareth not before God.
14 There is a vanity, which is done upon the earth, that there be righteous men to whom it cometh according to the [bc]work of the wicked: and there be wicked men to whom it cometh according to the work of the just: I thought also that this is vanity.
15 And I praised joy, for there is no goodness to man under the sun, save [bd]to eat and to drink and to rejoice: for this is adjoined to his labor the days of his life that God hath given him under the sun.
16 When I applied mine heart to know wisdom, and to behold the business that is done on earth, that neither day nor night the eyes of man take sleep,
17 Then I beheld the whole work of God, that man cannot find out the work that is wrought under the sun: for the which man laboreth to seek it, and cannot find it: yea, and though the wise man think to know it, he cannot find it.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.