For God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives labor, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

For that which happens to the sons of men also happens to beasts, even one thing happens to them. As this one dies, so that one dies; yea, they all have one breath; so that a man has no advantage over a beast; for all is vanity.

Again, I considered all labor, and every right work, that for this a man is envied by his neighbor. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he has neither son nor brother; yet there is no end to all his labor; and his eyes are not satisfied with riches; and he says, For whom do I labor and take good from my soul? This is also vanity. Yes, it is an evil business.

There is no end of all the people, of all who have been before them; they also who come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

He who loves silver shall not be satisfied with silver, and he who loves abundance not with gain. This is also vanity.

And this also is a sore evil, that in all, as he came, so shall he go; and what profit does he have who has labored for the wind?

Also every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and has given him power to eat of it and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God.

a man to whom God has given riches, wealth, and honor, so that he lacks nothing for his soul of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to eat of it, but a stranger eats it. This is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

Also he has not seen the sun, nor known anything. This one has more rest than the other.

Better is the sight of the eyes than the wandering of the desire. This is also vanity and vexation of spirit.

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

Do not say, Why was it that the former days were better than these? For you do not ask wisely in regard to this.

It is good that you should take hold of this; yea, also from this do not withdraw your hand; for he who fears God shall come forth from all of them.

All this I have proved by wisdom; I said, I will be wise; but it was far from me.

Behold, this I have found, says the Preacher, counting one by one, to find out the sum,

Lo, this only I have found, that God has made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.

All this I have seen, and I gave my heart to every work that is done under the sun. There is a time in which one man rules over another to his own hurt.

And so I saw the wicked buried, and they came and went from the holy place. And they were forgotten in the city, these things that they had done. This is also vanity.

There is a vanity which is done on the earth: There are just ones to whom it happens according to the work of the wicked; again, there are wicked ones to whom it happens according to the work of the righteous. I said that this also is vanity.

For all this I took to heart, even to make all this clear, that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of God. No man knows either love or hatred by all that is before them.

This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event to all. Yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.

Look on life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, which He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity. For that is your share in this life, and in your labor which you labor under the sun.

This wisdom I have seen also under the sun, and it seemed great to me.

In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening do not withhold your hand; for you do not know what shall be blessed, either this or that, or whether they both shall be fruitful in the same way.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep His commandments. For this is the whole duty of man.

Who is this coming up out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, from all the merchant's powders?

His mouth is most sweet; yes, He is altogether lovely. This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning on her Beloved? I awakened you under the apple tree; there your mother travailed with you; there she travailed and bore you.

When you come to appear before Me, who has required this at your hand, to trample My courts?

When a man shall take hold of his brother of the house of his father, saying, You have clothing, you be our ruler, and let this ruin be under your hand;

For this My people go into exile without knowledge, and their honorable men into famine, and his multitude is dried up with thirst.

Therefore the anger of Jehovah is kindled on His people, and He has stretched out His hand against them, and has stricken them; and the hills trembled, and their dead bodies were as filth in the midst of the streets. In all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

And he laid it on my mouth and said, Lo, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged.

And He said, Go, and tell this people, You hear indeed, but do not understand; and seeing you see, but do not know.

Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn back, and be healed.

Because this people has refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son;

For so Jehovah spoke to me with a strong hand, and warned me against walking in the way of this people, saying,

Do not say, A conspiracy! to everything of which this people says, A conspiracy! And do not fear their fear, nor be afraid.

To the Law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this Word, it is because no light is in them.

There is no end of the increase of His government and peace on the throne of David, and on His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from now on, even forever. The zeal of Jehovah of Hosts will do this.

the Syrians in front and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

For the leaders of this people led them astray; and their guided ones are swallowed up.

For this the Lord shall not rejoice over their young men, nor shall He have mercy on their orphans and widows; for everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks foolishness. In all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh; and they together shall be against Judah. In all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

Surely they shall bow down under the prisoners, and they shall fall under the slain. In all this His hand is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.

Yet he does not plan this, nor does his heart think so. For it is in his heart to destroy and cut off not a few nations.

Sing to Jehovah; for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.

you shall take up this song against the king of Babylon and say, How the exacter, the gold gatherer has ceased!

Those who see you shall stare and closely watch you, saying, Is this the man who made the earth to tremble; who shook kingdoms;

This is the purpose that is purposed on all the earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out on all the nations.

This burden was in the year that King Ahaz died:

On account of this I will weep with the weeping of Jazer, the vine of Sibmah. I will water you with my tears, O Heshbon and Elealeh; for the shouting has fallen on your fruit and on your harvest.

This is the Word that Jehovah has spoken to Moab since that time.

At evening time, behold, terror! Before the morning, he is not! This is the lot of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who rob us.

And he who lives in this coast shall say in that day, Behold, this has become of our hope to which we fled for help there, to be delivered from before the king of Assyria; and, How shall we escape?

And it was revealed in my ears by Jehovah of Hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you until you die, says the Lord Jehovah of Hosts.

So says the Lord, Jehovah of Hosts, Go, go up to this treasurer, to Shebna who is over the house. Say,

Is this your joyous city from days of her old age? Her own feet carry it afar off to stay.

Who has purposed this against Tyre, the crowning city, whose merchants are rulers, whose merchants are the weighty of the earth?

Behold the land of the Chaldeans! This people did not exist. Assyria founded it for those who live in the desert. They set up their siege-towers; they stripped its palaces. They made it a ruin.

The land shall be completely emptied, and utterly stripped; for Jehovah has spoken this Word.

And in this mountain Jehovah of Hosts shall make a feast of fat things for all the people, a feast of wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of refined wine on the lees.

And He will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering which covers all people, and the veil that is woven over all nations.

And one shall say in that day, Lo, this is our God. We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is Jehovah; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.

For the hand of Jehovah shall rest in this mountain, and Moab shall be trampled under Him, even as straw is trampled in the water of a dung pit.

In that day this song shall be sung in the land of Judah: We have a strong city; He sets up salvation as our walls and banks.

By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin; when he makes all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, the Asherahs and sun-pillars shall not stand up.

for with stammering lips and another tongue He will speak to this people.

To whom He said, This is the rest; cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing. Yet they were not willing to hear.

Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah, scornful men who rule this people in Jerusalem.

This also comes out from Jehovah of Hosts, who is wonderful in wisdom, making sound wisdom great.

And the vision of all has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which they give to one who knows books saying, Please read this; and he says, I cannot, for it is sealed.

And the book is delivered to him who does not know books, saying, Please read this; and he says, I do not know books.

And Jehovah said, Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men;

therefore, behold, I will go on doing among this people, a wonder, even a wonder. For the wisdom of their wise ones shall perish, and the understanding of their intelligent ones shall be hidden.

For Egypt helps vainly, and worthlessly. So I have cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

that this is a rebellious people, lying sons. They are sons who will not hear the Law of Jehovah;

Therefore so says the Holy One of Israel, Because you have despised this Word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and rest on them;

therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly, in an instant.

And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.

And the chief of the cupbearers said to them, Say now to Hezekiah, So says the great king, the king of Assyria, What hope is this in which you trust?

Lo, you trust in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; on which, if a man lean on it, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.

But if you say to me, We trust in Jehovah our God; is it not He whose high places and altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, You shall worship before this altar?

Have I now come up without Jehovah against this land to destroy it? Jehovah said to me, Go up against this land and destroy it.

Nor let Hezekiah make you trust in Jehovah, saying, Jehovah will surely deliver us; this city shall not be delivered into the hands of the king of Assyria.

And they said to him, So says Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy! For the sons have come to the birth, and no strength to bring forth.

this is the word which Jehovah has spoken concerning him: The virgin, the daughter of Zion, has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the daughter of Jerusalem has shaken her head behind you.

And this shall be a sign to you: You shall eat self-sown grain this year; and the second year that which springs of the same; and in the third year you shall sow, and reap, and plant vineyards and eat the fruit of them.

for out of Jerusalem shall go out a remnant, and those who escape out of Mount Zion; the zeal of Jehovah of Hosts shall do this.

So Jehovah says this to the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it.

By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and shall not come into this city, says Jehovah.

For I will defend this city to save it, for My own sake and for My servant David's sake.

And I will deliver you and this city out of the hand of the king of Assyria. And I will defend this city.

And this shall be a sign to you from Jehovah that Jehovah will do this thing that He has spoken:

The living, the living, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make Your truth known to the sons.

Behold, the days come when all that is in your house, and that which your fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon. Nothing shall be left, says Jehovah.

so that they may see, and know, and look on, and understand together, that the hand of Jehovah has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.

Reveal the near things after this, so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do good, or do evil, so that we may be amazed and see together.

But this is a people robbed and spoiled; all of them snared in holes, and they are hidden in prison-houses; they have been taken, and none delivers them; a prize, and none says, Give back.