Old/New Testament
4 2 The innocents are oppressed. 4 Man’s labors are full of abuse and vanity. 9 Man’s society is necessary. 13 A young man poor and wise, is to be preferred to an old King that is a fool.
1 So [a]I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought under the sun, and behold, the tears of the oppressed, and none comforteth them, and lo, the strength is of the hand of them that oppress them, and none comforteth them.
2 Wherefore I praised the [b]dead which now are dead, above the living, which are yet alive.
3 And I count him [c]better than them both, which hath not yet been: for he hath not seen the evil works which are wrought under the sun.
4 Also I beheld all travail, and all [d]perfection of works, that this is the envy of a man against his neighbor: this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
5 The fool foldeth his hands, and [e]eateth up his own flesh.
6 Better is an handful with quietness, than two handfuls with labor and vexation of spirit.
7 Again I returned, and saw vanity under the sun.
8 There is one alone, and there is not a second, which hath neither son nor brother, yet is there none end of all his travail, neither can his eye be satisfied with riches: neither doth he think, For whom do I travail and defraud my soul of pleasures? this also is vanity, this is an evil travail.
9 [f]Two are better wages for their labor.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe unto him that is alone: for he falleth, and there is not a second to lift him up.
11 Also if two sleep together, then shall they have heat: but to one how should there be heat?
12 And if one overcome him, two shall stand against him: and a threefold [g]cord is not easily broken.
13 Better is a poor and wise child, than an old and foolish King, which will no more be admonished.
14 For out of the [h]prison he cometh forth to reign: when as he that is [i]born in his kingdom, is made poor.
15 I beheld all the living, which walk under the Sun [j]with the second child, which shall stand up in his place.
16 There is none [k]end of all the people, nor of all that were before them, and they that come after, shall not rejoice in him: surely this is also vanity and vexation of spirit.
17 Take heed to thine [l]foot when thou enterest into the house of God, and be more near to hear than to give the sacrifice of [m]fools: for they know not that they do evil.
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 [n]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 [o]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 [p]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 [q]flesh to sin: neither say before the [r]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 [s]higher than the highest, regardeth, and there be higher than they.
8 And the [t]abundance of the earth is over all: the king [u]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 [v]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 [w]reserved to the owners thereof for their evil.
13 And these riches perish by evil travail, and he begetteth a son, and in his [x]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 [y]wind?
16 Also all his days he eateth in [z]darkness with much grief, and in his sorrow and anger.
17 Behold then, what I have seen good, that it is comely to [aa]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 [ab]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 [ac]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 [ad]satisfied with good things, and he be not [ae]buried, I say that an untimely fruit is better than he.
4 For [af]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 [ag]soul is not filled.
8 For what hath the wise man more than the fool? what hath the poor that [ah]knoweth how to walk before the living?
9 The [ai]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 [aj]stronger than he.
12 1 He doth even unwillingly make rehearsal, 3 of the heavenly visions, 4 that were revealed unto him, 6 for which though he might indeed glory, yet he will not, 10 being privy of his own infirmities: 11 but they drive him to this kind of folly, 20 in that they give ear to certain vainglorious persons, who draw them from Christ.
1 It [a]is not expedient for me no doubt to rejoice: for I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
2 I know a man [b]in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether he were in the body, I cannot tell, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth) which was taken up into the [c]third heaven.
3 And I know such a man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth.)
4 How that he was taken up into [d]Paradise, and heard words which [e]cannot be spoken, which are not [f]possible for man to utter.
5 [g]Of such a man will I rejoice: of myself will I not rejoice, except it be of mine infirmities.
6 For though I would rejoice, I should not be a fool, for I will say the truth: but I refrain, lest any man should think of me above that he seeth in me, or that he heareth of me.
7 [h]And lest I should be exalted out of measure through the abundance of revelations, there was given unto me a [i]prick in the flesh, the messenger of [j]Satan to buffet me, because I should not be exalted out of measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord [k]thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect through weakness. [l]Very gladly therefore will I rejoice rather in mine infirmities, that the power of Christ may [m]dwell in me.
10 Therefore I take [n]pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in anguish for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
11 I was a fool to boast myself: ye have compelled me: [o]for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I inferior unto the very chief Apostles, though I be nothing.
12 The [p]signs of an Apostle were wrought among you with all patience, with signs, and wonders and great works.
13 For what is it, wherein ye were inferiors unto other Churches, (A)except that I have not been [q]slothful to your hindrance? forgive me this wrong.
14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come unto you, and yet will I not be slothful to your hindrance: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the fathers, but the fathers for the children.
15 And I will most gladly bestow, and will be bestowed for your souls: though the more I love you, the less I am loved.
16 [r]But be it that I charged you not: yet for as much as I was crafty, I took you with guile.
17 Did I pill you by any of them whom I sent unto you?
18 I have desired Titus, and with him I have sent a brother: did Titus pill you of any things? walked we not in the selfsame spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
19 [s]Again, think ye that we excuse ourselves unto you? we speak before God in [t]Christ. But we do all things, dearly beloved, for your edifying.
20 [u]For I fear lest when I come, I shall not find you such as I would: and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: and lest there be strife, envying, wrath, contentions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, and discord.
21 I fear lest when I come again, my God abase me among you, and I shall bewail many of them which have sinned already, and have not repented of the uncleanness, and fornication, and wantonness which they have committed.
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.