Ecclesiastes 2:1–2

¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

¹⁹And I will say to my soule, Soule, thou hast much goods layd vp for many yeeres, take thine ease, eate, drinke, and be merry.

¹⁵Then 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.

^15*Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing vnder the Sunne, then to eate and to drinke, and to be merrie: for that shall abide with him of his labour, the dayes of his life, which God giueth him vnder the Sunne.

¹GO to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.

¹¶ Goe to now, yee rich men, weepe and howle for your miseries that shall come vpon you.

⁵Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.

⁵Yee haue liued in pleasure on the earth, and bene wanton: ye haue nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter:

⁸When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.

^8‖ When thou saidst, Seeke ye my face, my heart said vnto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seeke.

⁵And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

⁵And the king of Syria said, Goe to, Goe, and I will send a letter vnto the king of Israel. And hee departed, and tooke ^†with him ten talents of siluer, and sixe thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

¹⁶I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.

¹⁷And I gave my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I perceived that this also is vexation of spirit.

¹⁶I communed with mine owne heart, saying, Loe, I am come to great estate, and haue gotten ^*more wisedome then all they that haue beene before me in Ierusalem: yea my heart ^†had great experience of wisedome & knowledge.

^17*And I gaue my heart to know wisedome, and to know madnesse and folly: I perceiued that this also is vexation of spirit.

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.

⁹¶ Reioyce, O young man, in thy youth, and let thy heart cheere thee in the dayes of thy youth, and walke in the wayes of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things, God will bring thee into iudgement.

¹⁵Then 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.

^15†Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the foole, so it happeneth euen to me, and why was I then more wise? then I said in my heart, That this also is vanitie.

¹⁷I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

¹⁸I 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.

^17†I said in mine heart, God shall iudge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there, for euery purpose and for euery worke.

^18‖I said in my heart concerning the estate of the sonnes of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselues are beasts.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.

³And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

⁴And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

³And ^†they sayd one to another; Goe to, let vs make bricke, and ^†burne them thorowly. And they had bricke for stone, and slime had they for morter.

⁴And they said; Goe to, let vs build vs a city and a tower, whose top may reach vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, lest we be scattered abroad vpon the face of the whole earth.

⁷Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

⁷Goe to, let vs go downe, and there cōfound their language, that they may not vnderstand one anothers speech.

¹¹Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow.

^11*Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compasse your selues about with sparks: walke in the light of your fire, and in the sparkes that ye haue kindled. This shall ye haue of mine hand, yee shall lie downe in sorrow.

⁵¶ The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.

⁵¶ ^*The LORD God hath opened mine eare, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away backe.

¹³Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹³Goe to now ye that say, To day or to morrow wee will goe into such a city and continue there a yere, and buy, and sell, and get gaine:

¹⁹¶ There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day:

¹⁹¶ There was a certaine rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linnen, and fared sumptuously euery day.

⁶He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moved: for I shall never be in adversity.

^6†He hath said in his heart, I shall not be moued: for I shall neuer be in aduersitie.

¹THE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good.

¹¶ The foole hath sayd in his heart, There is no God: they are corrupt, they haue done abominable workes, there is none that doeth good.

⁶And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.

⁷Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

⁶And in my prosperitie I said, I shall neuer be mooued.

^7† LORD, by thy fauour thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong: Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.

⁷How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

⁸Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her.

⁷How much she hath glorified her selfe, and liued deliciously, so much torment and sorrow giue her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a ^*Queene, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow.

⁸Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine, and she shall bee vtterly burnt with fire, for strong is the Lord God, who iudgeth her.

³For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

³For we our selues also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceiued, seruing diuers lusts and pleasures, liuing in malice and enuy, hatefull, and hating one another.

⁵And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down:

^5†And now goe to; I will tell you what I will doe to my Uineyard, I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten vp; and breake downe the wall thereof, and it shall be troden downe.

²³And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²³And in hell he lift vp his eyes being in torments, and seeth Abraham afarre off, and Lazarus in his bosome:

¹³Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.

¹³Euen in laughter the heart is sorrowfull; and the end of that mirth is heauinesse.

²That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

³For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:

⁴Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:

²That he no longer should liue the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.

³For the time past of our life may suffice vs to haue wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciuiousnes, lusts, excesse of wine, reuellings, banquetings, and abhominable idolatries.

⁴Wherein they thinke it strange, that you runne not with them to the same excesse of riot, speaking euil of you:

²¶ It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.

³Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth.

⁵It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools.

⁶For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool: this also is vanity.

²¶ It is better to goe to the house of mourning, then to goe to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men, and the liuing will lay it to his heart.

^3‖Sorrow is better then laughter: for by the sadnesse of the countenance the heart is made better.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning: but the heart of fooles is in the house of mirth.

^5* It is better to heare the rebuke of the wise, then for a man to heare the song of fooles.

^6†For as the crackling of thornes vnder a pot, so is the laughter of the foole: this also is vanitie.

³Ye that put far away the evil day, and cause the seat of violence to come near;

⁴That lie upon beds of ivory, and stretch themselves upon their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the midst of the stall;

⁵That chant to the sound of the viol, and invent to themselves instruments of musick, like David;

⁶That drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the chief ointments: but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.

³Ye that ^*put farre away the ^*euil day, and cause the ^‖seat of violence to come neere:

⁴That lie vpon beds of Yuorie, and ^‖stretch themselues vpon their couches, and eate the lambes out of the flocke, and the calues out of the midst of the stall:

⁵That ^‖chaunt to the sound of the Uiole, and inuent to themselues instruments of musicke, like Dauid:

⁶That ^‖drinke wine in bowles, and anoint themselues with the chiefe ointments: but they are not grieued for the ^†affliction of Ioseph.

¹²And in that day did the Lord God of hosts call to weeping, and to mourning, and to baldness, and to girding with sackcloth:

¹³And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die.

¹²And in that day did the LORD God of hostes call to weeping and to mourning, and to baldnesse, and to girding with sackecloth.

^13*And behold ioy and gladnesse, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine; let vs eate and drinke, for to morrow we shall die.