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AUGUST 26
that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is There was no profit under the sun.
vanity and grasping for the wind. 12 Then I turned myself to consider
15 What is crooked cannot be made wisdom and madness and folly;
straight, For what can the man do who succeeds
And what is lacking cannot be the king?—
numbered. Only what he has already done.
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16 I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I Then I saw that wisdom excels folly
have attained greatness, and have gained more 14 As light excels darkness.
wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusa- The wise man’s eyes are in his head,
lem. My heart has understood great wisdom But the fool walks in darkness.
and knowledge.” And I set my heart to know Yet I myself perceived
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wisdom and to know madness and folly. I per- That the same event happens to them
ceived that this also is grasping for the wind. all.
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For in much wisdom is much grief,
18 So I said in my heart,
And he who increases knowledge “As it happens to the fool,
increases sorrow. It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?”
I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test Then I said in my heart,
2 you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; “This also is vanity.”
but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laugh- 16 For there is no more remembrance of
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ter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it the wise than of the fool forever,
accomplish?” I searched in my heart how to Since all that now is will be forgotten in
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gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my the days to come.
heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on And how does a wise man die?
folly, till I might see what was good for the As the fool!
sons of men to do under heaven all the days of
17 Therefore I hated life because the work that
their lives.
4 was done under the sun was distressing to me,
I made my works great, I built myself hous-
es, and planted myself vineyards. I made for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
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myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all Then I hated all my labor in which I had
kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to
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water pools from which to water the growing the man who will come after me. And who
trees of the grove. I acquired male and female knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet
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servants, and had servants born in my house. he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled
Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and and in which I have shown myself wise under
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flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I
me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold turned my heart and despaired of all the labor
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and the special treasures of kings and of the in which I had toiled under the sun. For there
provinces. I acquired male and female singers, is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowl-
the delights of the sons of men, and musical edge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage
instruments of all kinds. to a man who has not labored for it. This also
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9 So I became great and excelled more than is vanity and a great evil. For what has man
all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my for all his labor, and for the striving of his
wisdom remained with me. heart with which he has toiled under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrowful, and his work
10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not burdensome; even in the night his heart takes
keep from them. no rest. This also is vanity.
I did not withhold my heart from any 24 Nothing is better for a man than that he
pleasure, should eat and drink, and that his soul should
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was
And this was my reward from all my from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who
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labor. can have enjoyment, more than I? For God
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11 Then I looked on all the works that my gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man
hands had done who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He
And on the labor in which I had toiled; gives the work of gathering and collecting, that
And indeed all was vanity and grasping he may give to him who is good before God.
for the wind. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
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