Bible, Ethician Version
Ecclesiastes
Qoh.1
[2] Vanity of
vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity.
[3] What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the
sun?
[4] One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the
earth abideth for ever.
[5] The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his
place where he arose.
[6] The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north;
it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his
circuits.
[7] All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the
place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again.
[9] The 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.
[14] I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
[15] That which is crooked cannot be made straight: and that which is
wanting cannot be numbered.
[17] And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly:
I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.
Qoh.2
[1] I said in
mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure:
and, behold, this also is vanity.
[4] I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
[5] I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all
kind of fruits:
[6] I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth
forth trees:
[10] And 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.
[14] The 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.
[15] Then 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.
[16] For 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.
[24] There 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.
[26] For 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.
Qoh.3
[1] To every
thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
[2] A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to
pluck up that which 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 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 together; a
time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
[6] A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to
cast away;
[7] A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a
time to speak;
[11] He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set
the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh
from the beginning to the end.
[13] And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of
all his labour, it is the gift of God.
[18] I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that
God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are
beasts.
[19] For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one
thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all
one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
[20] All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust
again.
[22] Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man
should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring
him to see what shall be after him?
Qoh.4
[1] So I
returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and
behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on
the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.
[9] Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their
labour.
[10] For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him
that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
[13] Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who
will no more be admonished.
Qoh.5
[9] Moreover the
profit of the earth is for all: the king himself is served by the field.
[10] He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver; nor he
that loveth abundance with increase: this is also vanity.
[15] As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go
as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in
his hand.
[18] Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat
and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the
sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.
[19] Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath
given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his
labour; this is the gift of God.
Qoh.6
[1] There is an
evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men:
[4] For he cometh in with vanity, and departeth in darkness, and his
name shall be covered with darkness.
Qoh.7
[5] It is better
to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.
[9] Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the
bosom of fools.
[11] Wisdom is good with an inheritance: and by it there is profit to
them that see the sun.
[12] For wisdom is a defence, and money is a defence: but the excellency
of knowledge is, that wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
[15] All things have I seen in the days of my vanity: there is a just
man that perisheth in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man that
prolongeth his life in his wickedness.
[25] I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out
wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of
foolishness and madness:
Qoh.8
[1] Who is as the
wise man? and who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? a man's wisdom maketh
his face to shine.
[7] For he knoweth not that which shall be: for who can tell him when it
shall be?
[8] There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the
spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in
that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it.
[15] Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under
the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with
him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun.
Qoh.9
[1] For all this
I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the
wise, and their works, are in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or
hatred by all that is before them.
[3] This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that
there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of
evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to
the dead.
[5] For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any
thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is
forgotten.
[6] Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished;
neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under
the sun.
[7] Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry
heart; for God now accepteth thy works.
[9] Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the
life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy
vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou
takest under the sun.
[10] Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there
is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou
goest.
[11] I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the
swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet
riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and
chance happeneth to them all.
[12] For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in
an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of
men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.
[13] This wisdom have I seen also under the sun, and it seemed great
unto me:
[17] The words of wise men are heard in quiet more than the cry of him
that ruleth among fools.
Qoh.10
[3] Yea also,
when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith
to every one that he is a fool.
[8] He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it; and whoso breaketh an
hedge, a serpent shall bite him.
[12] The words of a wise man's mouth are gracious; but the lips of a
fool will swallow up himself.
[13] The beginning of the words of his mouth is foolishness: and the end
of his talk is mischievous madness.
[14] A fool also is full of words: a man cannot tell what shall be; and
what shall be after him, who can tell him?
[19] A feast is made for laughter, and wine maketh merry: but money
answereth all things.
Qoh.11
[3] If the clouds
be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall
toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth,
there it shall be.
[7] Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to
behold the sun:
[9] Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in
the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of
thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into
judgment.
[10] Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil from thy
flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.
Qoh.12
[2] While the
sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds
return after the rain:
[7] Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit
shall return unto God who gave it.
[8] Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity.
[9] And moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the
people knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order many
proverbs.
[10] The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which
was written was upright, even words of truth.