The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Then I looked on all my workes that mine hands had wrought, and on the trauaile that I had laboured to doe: and beholde, all is vanitie and vexation of the spirit: and there is no profite vnder the sunne.

And I turned to beholde wisedome, and madnes and follie: (for who is the man that will come after the King in things, which men nowe haue done?)

Then I saw that there is profite in wisdome, more then in follie: as the light is more excellent then darkenes.

For the wise mans eyes are in his head, but the foole walketh in darknes: yet I know also that the same condition falleth to them all.

Then I thought in mine heart, It befalleth vnto me, as it befalleth to ye foole. Why therefore doe I then labour to be more wise? And I sayd in mine heart, that this also is vanitie.

For there shalbe no remembrance of the wise, nor of the foole for euer: for that that now is, in the dayes to come shall all be forgotten. And howe dyeth the wise man, as doeth the foole?

Therefore I hated life: for the worke that is wrought vnder the sunne is grieuous vnto me: for all is vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.

I hated also all my labour, wherein I had trauailed vnder the sunne, which I shall leaue to the man that shalbe after me.

And who knoweth whether he shalbe wise or foolish? yet shall hee haue rule ouer all my labour, wherein I haue trauailed, and wherein I haue shewed my selfe wise vnder the sunne. This is also vanitie.

Therefore I went about to make mine heart abhorre all the labour, wherein I had trauailed vnder the sunne.

For there is a man whose trauaile is in wisdome, and in knowledge and in equitie: yet to a man that hath not trauailed herein, shall he giue his portion: this also is vanitie and a great griefe.

For what hath man of all his trauaile and griefe of his heart, wherein he hath trauailed vnder the sunne?

For all his dayes are sorowes, and his trauaile griefe: his heart also taketh not rest in the night: which also is vanitie.

There is no profit to man: but that he eate, and drinke, and delight his soule with the profit of his labour: I saw also this, that it was of the hand of God.

For who could eate, and who could haste to outward things more then I?

Surely to a man that is good in his sight, God giueth wisdome, and knowledge, and ioy: but to the sinner he giueth paine, to gather, and to heape to giue to him that is good before God: this is also vanitie, and vexation of the spirit.

To all things there is an appointed time, and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen.

A time to bee borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to plucke vp that which is planted.

A time to slay, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to builde.

A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones: a time to embrace, and a time to be farre from embracing.

A time to seeke, and a time to lose: a time to keepe, and a time to cast away.

A time to rent, and a time to sowe: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake.

A time to loue, and a time to hate: a time of warre, and a time of peace.

What profite hath hee that worketh of the thing wherein he trauaileth?

I haue seene the trauaile that God hath giuen to ye sonnes of men to humble them thereby.

He hath made euery thing beautifull in his time: also he hath set the worlde in their heart, yet can not man finde out the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end.

I know that there is nothing good in them, but to reioyce, and to doe good in his life.

And also that euery man eateth and drinketh, and seeth the commoditie of all his labour. this is the gift of God.

I knowe that whatsoeuer God shall doe, it shalbe for euer: to it can no man adde, and from it can none diminish: for God hath done it, that they should feare before him.

What is that that hath bene? that is nowe: and that that shalbe, hath now bene: for God requireth that which is past.

And moreouer I haue seene vnder the sunne the place of iudgement, where was wickednesse, and the place of iustice where was iniquitie.

I thought in mine heart, God wil iudge the iust and the wicked: for time is there for euery purpose and for euery worke.

I considered in mine heart the state of the children of men that God had purged them: yet to see to, they are in themselues as beastes.

For the condition of the children of men, and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition vnto them. As the one dyeth, so dyeth the other: for they haue all one breath, and there is no excellency of man aboue ye beast: for all is vanitie.

All goe to one place, and all was of the dust, and all shall returne to the dust.

Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascend vpward, and the spirit of the beast descend downeward to the earth?

Therefore I see that there is nothing better then that a man shoulde reioyce in his affaires, because that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shalbe after him?

So I turned and considered all the oppressions that are wrought vnder the sunne, and beholde the teares of the oppressed, and none comforteth them: and lo, the strength is of the hand of them that oppresse them, and none comforteth them.

Wherefore I praysed the dead which now are dead, aboue the liuing, which are yet aliue.

And I count him better then them both, which hath not yet bin: for he hath not seene the euill workes which are wrought vnder the sunne.

Also I beheld all trauaile, and all perfection of workes that this is ye enuie of a man against his neighbour: this also is vanitie and vexation of spirit.

The foole foldeth his hands, and eateth vp his owne flesh.

Better is an handfull with quietnesse, then two handfuls with labour and vexation of spirit.

Againe I returned, and sawe vanitie vnder the sunne.

There is one alone, and there is not a second, which hath neither sonne nor brother, yet is there none end of all his trauaile, neither can his eye be satisfied with riches: neither doeth he thinke, For whome doe I trauaile and defraude my soule of pleasure? this also is vanitie, and this is an euill trauaile.

Two are better then one: for they haue better wages for their labour.

For if they fal, the one wil lift vp his felow: but wo vnto him that is alone: for he falleth, and there is not a second to lift him vp.

Also if two sleepe together, then shall they haue heate: but to one how should there be heate?

And if one ouercome him, two shall stand against him: and a threefolde coard is not easily broken.

Better is a poore and wise childe, then an olde and foolish King, which will no more be admonished.

For out of the prison he commeth forth to reigne: when as he that is borne in his kingdome, is made poore.

I behelde all the liuing, which walke vnder the sunne, with the second childe, which shall stand vp in his place.

There is none ende of all the people, nor of all that were before them, and they that come after, shall not reioyce in him: surely this is also vanitie and vexation of spirit.

Take heede to thy foote when thou entrest into the House of God, and be more neere to heare then to giue the sacrifice of fooles: for they knowe not that they doe euil.

Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thine heart be hastie to vtter a thing before God: for God is in the heauens, and thou art on the earth: therefore let thy wordes be fewe.

For as a dreame commeth by the multitude of businesse: so the voyce of a foole is in the multitude of wordes.

When thou hast vowed a vowe to God, deferre not to pay it: for he deliteth not in fooles: pay therefore that thou hast vowed.

It is better that thou shouldest not vowe, then that thou shouldest vow and not pay it.

Suffer not thy mouth to make thy flesh to sinne: neither say before the Angel, that this is ignorance: wherefore shall God bee angry by thy voyce, and destroy the worke of thine hands?

For in the multitude of dreames, and vanities are also many wordes: but feare thou God.

If in a countrey thou seest the oppression of the poore, and the defrauding of iudgement and iustice, be not astonied at the matter: for hee that is higher then the highest, regardeth, and there be higher then they.

And the abundance of the earth is ouer all: the King also consisteth by the fielde that is tilled.

He that loueth siluer, shall not be satisfied with siluer, and he that loueth riches, shalbe without the fruite thereof: this also is vanitie.

When goods increase, they are increased that eate them: and what good commeth to the owners thereof, but the beholding thereof with their eyes?

The sleepe of him that traueileth, is sweete, whether he eate litle or much: but the sacietie of the riche will not suffer him to sleepe.

There is an euill sickenes that I haue seene vnder the sunne: to wit, riches reserued to the owners thereof for their euill.

And these riches perish by euill trauel, and he begetteth a sonne, and in his hand is nothing.

As hee came foorth of his mothers belly, he shall returne naked to goe as he came, and shall beare away nothing of his labour, which hee hath caused to passe by his hand.

And this also is an euill sickenes that in all pointes as he came, so shall he goe, and what profit hath he that he hath traueiled for the winde?

Also all his dayes hee eateth in darkenes with much griefe, and in his sorowe and anger.

Beholde then, what I haue seene good, that it is comely to eate, and to drinke, and to take pleasure in all his labour, wherein he traueileth vnder the sunne, the whole nomber of the dayes of his life, which God giueth him: for this is his portion.

Also to euery man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures, and giueth him power to eate thereof, and to take his part, and to enioy his labour: this is the gift of God.

Surely hee will not much remember the dayes of his life, because God answereth to the ioy of his heart.

There is an euill, which I sawe vnder the sunne, and it is much among men:

A man to whom God hath giuen riches and treasures and honour, and he wanteth nothing for his soule of all that it desireth: but God giueth him not power to eate thereof, but a strange man shall eate it vp: this is vanitie, and this is an euill sicknesse.

If a man beget an hundreth children and liue many yeeres, and the dayes of his yeeres be multiplied, and his soule be not satisfied with good things, and he be not buried, I say that an vntimely fruite is better then he.

For he commeth into vanitie and goeth into darkenesse: and his name shall be couered with darkenesse.

Also he hath not seene ye sunne, nor knowen it: therefore this hath more rest then the other.

And if he had liued a thousand yeeres twise tolde, and had seene no good, shall not all goe to one place?

All the labour of man is for his mouth: yet the soule is not filled.

For what hath the wise man more then the foole? what hath the poore that knoweth how to walke before the liuing?

The sight of ye eye is better then to walke in ye lustes: this also is vanitie, and vexation of spirit.

What is that that hath bene? the name thereof is nowe named: and it is knowen that it is man: and he cannot striue with him that is stronger then he.

Surely there be many things that increase vanitie: and what auaileth it man?

For who knoweth what is good for man in the life and in the nomber of the dayes of the life of his vanitie, seeing he maketh them as a shadowe? For who can shewe vnto man what shall be after him vnder the sunne?

A good name is better then a good oyntment, and the day of death, then the day that one is borne.

It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting, because this is the ende of all men: and the liuing shall lay it to his heart.

Anger is better then laughter: for by a sad looke the heart is made better.

The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.

Better it is to heare ye rebuke of a wise man, then that a man should heare the song of fooles.

For like ye noyse of the thornes vnder the pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie.

Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad: and the rewarde destroyeth the heart.

The ende of a thing is better then the beginning thereof, and the pacient in spirit is better then the proude in spirit.

Be not thou of an hastie spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosome of fooles.

Say not thou, Why is it that the former dayes were better then these? for thou doest not enquire wisely of this thing.

Wisedome is good with an inheritance, and excellent to them that see the sunne.

For man shall rest in the shadowe of wisedome, and in the shadowe of siluer: but the excellencie of the knowledge of wisedome giueth life to the possessers thereof.

Beholde the worke of God: for who can make straight that which he hath made crooked?

In the day of wealth be of good comfort, and in the day of affliction consider: God also hath made this contrary to that, to the intent that man shoulde finde nothing after him.