1
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I said to myself, "Come on, let's try pleasure. Let's look for the 'good things' in life." But I found that this, too, was meaningless. |
2
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So I said, "Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?" |
3
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After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. |
4
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I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. |
5
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I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. |
6
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I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. |
7
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I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. |
8
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I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! |
9
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So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. |
10
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Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. |
11
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But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless-- like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. |
12
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So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). |
13
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I thought, "Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. |
14
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For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark." Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. |
15
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Both will die. So I said to myself, "Since I will end up the same as the fool, what's the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!" |
16
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For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. |
17
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So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless-- like chasing the wind. |
18
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I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. |
19
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And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! |
20
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So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. |
21
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Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn't worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. |
22
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So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? |
23
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Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. |
24
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So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. |
25
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For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him? |
26
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God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless-- like chasing the wind. |
Ecclesiastes 2:3 English Language Bible Words basic statistical display
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