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Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
New King James Version
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
New King James Version
10 He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver;
Nor he who loves abundance, with increase.
This also is vanity.
11 When goods increase,
They increase who eat them;
So what profit have the owners
Except to see them with their eyes?
12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much;
But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.
13 (A)There is a severe evil which I have seen under the sun:
Riches kept for their owner to his hurt.
14 But those riches perish through [a]misfortune;
When he begets a son, there is nothing in his hand.
15 (B)As he came from his mother’s womb, naked shall he return,
To go as he came;
And he shall take nothing from his labor
Which he may carry away in his hand.
16 And this also is a severe evil—
Just exactly as he came, so shall he go.
And (C)what profit has he (D)who has labored for the wind?
17 All his days (E)he also eats in darkness,
And he has much sorrow and sickness and anger.
18 Here is what I have seen: (F)It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; (G)for it is his [b]heritage. 19 As for (H)every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, and given him power to eat of it, to receive his [c]heritage and rejoice in his labor—this is the (I)gift of God. 20 For he will not dwell unduly on the days of his life, because God keeps him busy with the joy of his heart.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 5:14 Lit. bad business
- Ecclesiastes 5:18 Lit. portion
- Ecclesiastes 5:19 Lit. portion
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 5:10-20
New International Version
10 Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.
11 As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?
12 The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.(A)
13 I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:(B)
wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
14 or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
15 Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.(C)
They take nothing from their toil(D)
that they can carry in their hands.(E)
16 This too is a grievous evil:
As everyone comes, so they depart,
and what do they gain,
since they toil for the wind?(F)
17 All their days they eat in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.
18 This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink(G) and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor(H) under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions,(I) and the ability to enjoy them,(J) to accept their lot(K) and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.(L) 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.(M)
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.