Ecclesiastes 1:1–2:26
Septuagint (Brenton) compared with King James Version (Masoretic-derived)
Full reading for Day 238
Ecclesiastes 1:1–2:26 · Psalm 101 (MT: 102) · Proverbs 24:1–2 · 1 Corinthians 7:20–40
Showing Ecclesiastes 1:1 through 2:26
View
Septuagint (Brenton)
Authoritative text
King James Version
Masoretic-derived · highlighted where altered
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king of Israel in Jerusalem.
1The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.
2Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
2Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
3What advantage [is there] to a man in all his labour that he takes under the sun?
3What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun?
4A generation goes, and a generation comes: but the earth stands for ever.
4One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever.
5And the sun arises, and the sun goes downand draws toward its place;
5The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose.
6arising there it proceeds southward, and goes round toward the north. The wind goes round and round, and the wind returns to its circuits.
6The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits.
7All the rivers run into the sea; and yet the sea is not filled: to the place whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
7All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
8All things are full of labour; a man will not be able to speak [of them]: neither shall the eye be satisfied with seeing, neither shall the ear be filled with hearing.
8All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.
9What is that which has been? the very thing which shall be: and what is that which has been done? the very thing which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
9The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.
10[Who is he] that shall speak and say, Behold, this is new? it has already been in the ages that have passed before us.
10Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.
11There is no memorial to the first things; neither to the things that have been last shall their memorial be with them that shall be at the last [time].
11There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
12I the Preacher was king over Israel in Jerusalem.
13And I applied my heart to seek out and examine by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven, for God has given to the sons of men an evil trouble to be troubled therewith.
13And I gave my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all things that are done under heaven: this sore travail hath God given to the sons of man to be exercised therewith.
14I beheld all the works that were wrought under the sun; and, behold, all were vanity and waywardness of spirit.
14I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and deficiency cannot be numbered.
15That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is wanting cannot be numbered.
16I spoke in my heart, saying, Behold, I am increased, and have acquired wisdom beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem: also I applied my heart to know wisdom and knowledge.
16I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.
17And my heart knew much—wisdom, and knowledge, parables and understanding: I perceived that this also is waywardness of spirit.
17And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
18For in the abundance of wisdom is abundance of knowledge; and he that increases knowledge will increase sorrow.
18For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.
1I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: and, behold, this is also vanity.
1I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2I said to laughter, Madness: and to mirth, Why doest thou this?
2I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3And I examined whether my heart would excite my flesh as [with] wine, (though my heart guided [me] in wisdom,) and [I desired] to lay hold of mirth, until I should see of what kind is the good to the sons of men, which they should do under the sun all the days of their life.
3I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
4I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5I made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit-tree.
5I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6I made me pools of water, to water from them the timber-bearing wood.
6I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7I got servants and maidens, and servants were born to me in the house: also I had abundant possession of flocks and herds, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.
7I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold also, and the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces: I procured me singing men and singing women , and delights of the sons of men, a butler and female cupbearers.
8I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9So I became great, and advanced beyond all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom was established to me.
9So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10And whatever mine eyes desired, I withheld not from them, I withheld not my heart from all my mirth: for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour.
10And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11And I looked on all my works which my hands had wrought, and on my labour which I laboured to perform: and, behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun.
11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12Then I looked on to see wisdom, and madness, and folly: for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things wherein he employs it?
12And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13And I saw that wisdom excels folly, as much as light excels darkness.
13Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness: and I perceived, even I, that one event shall happen to them all.
14The wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
15And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me; and to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.
15Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool for ever; forasmuch as now [in] the coming days all things are forgotten: and how shall the wise man die with the fool?
16For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17So I hated life; because the work that was wrought under the sun was evil before me: for all is vanity and waywardness of spirit.
17Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18And I hated the whole of my labour which I took under the sun; because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
18Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19And who knows whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labour in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.
19And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20So I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.
20Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
21For there is [such] a man that his labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; yet [this] man shall give his portion to one who has not laboured therein . This is also vanity and great evil.
21For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heartwherein he labours under the sun.
22For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23For all his days [are days] of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his ; in the night also his heart rests not . This is also vanity.
23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24A man has nothing [really] good to eat, and to drink, and to shew his soul [as] good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
24There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him?
25For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26For [God] has given to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but he has given to the sinner trouble, to add and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God; for this is also vanity and waywardness of spirit.
26For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.