Ecclesiastes 2:19-24 in English

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?

²³ For all his days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ So I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For 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.

²² For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labours under the sun.

²³ For 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.

²⁴ A 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.

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

²¹ For 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.

²² For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

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.

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

²¹ For 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.

²² For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

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.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labor in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.

²⁰ so I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labor wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is such a man that his labor 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.

²² For it happens to a man in all his labor, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labors under the sun.

²³ For 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.

²⁴ A man has nothing really good to eat, and to drink, and to show his soul as good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And 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 wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboureth under the sun?

²³ For all his days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And ◄who/no one► knows RHQ whether he will be wise or whether he will be foolish. But even if he is foolish, he will acquire all the things that I worked very hard and wisely to get.

²⁰ I thought about all the hard work that I had done. It seemed useless, and I became depressed/discouraged.

²¹ Some people work wisely and skillfully, using the things that they have learned. But when they die, they leave everything, and someone who has not worked hard acquires those things. And that also seemed to be senseless and caused me to be discouraged.

²² So, it seems that people do not RHQ get much for all the hard work that they do and for worrying.

²³ Every day the work that they do causes them to experience pain and to be worried. And during the night, their minds are not able to rest. That also is very frustrating.

²⁴ So I decided that the best thing that we can do is to enjoy what we eat and drink, and also enjoy our work. And I realized that those things are what God intends for us.

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ so I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For 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.

²² For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labours under the sun.

²³ For 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.

²⁴ A man has nothing really good to eat, and to drink, and to show his soul as good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labour in which I have laboured, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour in which I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not laboured for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, in which he labours under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

²⁰ So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.

²¹ Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

²² What does a man get for all his work, and for the weight of care with which he has done his work under the sun?

²³ All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than taking meat and drink, and having delight in his work. This again I saw was from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour at which I have laboured, and wherein I have been wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Then I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour wherewith I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour hath been with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and who leaveth it to a man that hath not laboured therein, to be his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what will man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, wherewith he hath wearied himself under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail vexation: even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing good for man, but 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.

¹⁹ Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?

²⁰ Wherefore I left off and my heart renounced labouring any more under the sun.

²¹ For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.

²² For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he bath been tormented under the sun?

²³ All his days axe full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he doth not rest in mind: and is not this vanity?

²⁴ Is it not better to eat and drink, and to shew his soul good things of his labours? and this is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will rule over everything I accomplished through my wisdom here on earth. This is just so frustrating, so hard to understand!

²⁰ I decided to give up, my mind in despair over the significance of all my life's achievements.

²¹ For you can work wisely, knowledgably, and with skill—and who benefits? Someone who hasn't worked for it! This is both frustrating and totally unjust!

²² What do you get here on earth for all your hard work and worry?

²³ Your working life is full of trouble and strife—even at night your thoughts keep you awake. This is tough to comprehend!

²⁴ So what's the best thing to do? Eat, drink, and enjoy your work, recognizing as I did that these things are given to us by God,

¹⁹ 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.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to make mine heart abhorre all the labour, wherein I had trauailed vnder the sunne.

²¹ 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.

²² For what hath man of all his trauaile and griefe of his heart, wherein he hath trauailed vnder the sunne?

²³ For all his dayes are sorowes, and his trauaile griefe: his heart also taketh not rest in the night: which also is vanitie.

²⁴ 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.

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath a man of all his labour, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboureth under the sun?

²³ For all his days are pains, and his occupation vexation; yea, even in the night his heart taketh not rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy pleasure for his labour. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And 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.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

²¹ For 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.

²² For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

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.

¹⁹ And who knoweth, whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have full sway over all my toil wherein I have toiled, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. Also this is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to give up thinking of all the toil wherewith I had toiled under the sun.

²¹ For there is many a man whose toil is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and with energy; yet to a man that hath not toiled therefore must he give it as his portion. Also this is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what doth a man obtain of all his toil, and of the torture of his heart, wherewith he toileth under the sun?

²³ For all his days are full of pains, and vexation is mingled with his employment: yea, even in the night his heart taketh not rest. Also this is vanity.

²⁴ It is not a good thing inherent in man that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy happiness for his toil. Also this have I seen, that it cometh out of the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? And whether he will have power over all my labor In which I labored, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? This is also vanity.

²⁰ So I went about to dismiss from my heart All my labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is such a man that his labor Is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; Yet this man shall give his portion To one who has not labored therein. This is also vanity and great evil.

²² For it happens to a man in all his labor, And in the purpose of his heart Wherein he labors under the sun.

²³ For 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.

²⁴ A man has nothing really good To eat, and to drink, and to show his soul As good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he be lord of all the labor with which I have wearied myself, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I turned to give up my heart to despair in regard to all the labor with which I had wearied myself under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor has been with wisdom and knowledge and skill; yet to a man who hath not labored for it must he leave it as his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath man of all his labor, and the striving of his spirit, with which he wearieth himself under the sun?

²³ For all his days are grief, and his occupation trouble; even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink, and let his soul enjoy good in his labor. But this, as I have seen, cometh from the hand of God.

¹⁹ For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over everything under the sun that my work and wisdom have built. This also is vapor.

²⁰ Therefore my heart began to despair over all the work under the sun that I did.

²¹ For there might be someone who works with wisdom, with knowledge, and skill, but he will leave everything he has to a man who has not made any of it. This also is vapor and a great tragedy.

²² For what profit does the person gain who works so hard and tries in his heart to complete his labors under the sun?

²³ Every day his work is painful and stressful, so at night his soul does not find rest. This also is vapor.

²⁴ There is nothing better for anyone than to simply eat and drink and be satisfied with what is good in his work. I saw that this truth comes from God's hand.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labour in which I have laboured, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour in which I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not laboured for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, in which he labours under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have showed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I took under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not labored in it, shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath man of all his labor, and of the vexation of his heart, in which he hath labored under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his labor grief; yes, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

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 labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labour in which I have laboured, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour in which I had laboured under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not laboured for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what does a man have of all his labour and of the striving of his heart, in which he labours under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

¹⁹ whom I know not, whether he shall be wise either a fool; and he shall be lord in my travails, for which I sweated greatly, and was busy; and is there anything so vain?

²⁰ Wherefore I ceased, and mine heart forsook for to travail further under the sun.

²¹ For why when another man travaileth in wisdom, and teaching, and busyness, he leaveth things gotten to an idle man; and therefore this is vanity, and great evil.

²² For why what shall it profit to a man of all his travail, and torment of spirit, with which he was tormented under the sun?

²³ All his days be full of sorrows and mischiefs, and by night he resteth not in soul; and whether this is not vanity?

²⁴ Whether it is not better to eat and drink, and to show to his soul the goods of his travails? and this thing is of the hand of God.

¹⁹ whom I know not, whether he shall be wise either a fool; and he shall be lord in my travails, for which I sweated greatly, and was busy; and is there anything so vain? (whom I know not, whether he shall be wise or a fool; but he shall be the lord of all my works, for which I was so busy, and greatly sweated over; is there anything so empty and futile as this?)

²⁰ Wherefore I ceased, and mine heart forsook for to travail further under the sun. (And so I ceased to study, and my heart did not desire to labour any more under the sun.)

²¹ For why when another man travaileth in wisdom, and teaching, and busyness, he leaveth things gotten to an idle man; and therefore this is vanity, and great evil. (For though a person laboureth over something with wisdom, and knowledge, and diligence, he must leave all that he hath gotten to someone else, who did not labour over it; and so this is empty and futile, and a great evil.)

²² For why what shall it profit to a man of all his travail, and torment of spirit, with which he was tormented under the sun? (For what shall it profit a person for all his labour, and trials and tribulations, with which he was tormented under the sun?)

²³ All his days be full of sorrows and mischiefs, and by night he resteth not in soul; and whether this is not vanity? (All his days be full of sorrows and mischiefs, and at night his soul resteth not; and is not this all empty and futile?)

²⁴ Whether it is not better to eat and drink, and to show to his soul the goods of his travails? and this thing is of the hand of God. (Is it not better for a person to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good things from all his labour? and this is also from the hand of God.)

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also is vanity.

²⁰ And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it — his portion! Even this is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this also is vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God.