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Ecclesiastes / Toil, God's Gift, and Finding Satisfaction
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Toil, God's Gift, and Finding Satisfaction

Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

2
Chapter 2
17 And I hated the life, because the deed that was done under the sun was evil to me, because all is vapor and evil of spirit. 18 And I hated all my toil that I toil under the sun, that I leave it to a man who will be after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? And he will rule over all my toil that I toiled and that I became wise under the sun. This also is הבל. 20 And I will cause my heart to despair over all the toil that I toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is in wisdom and in knowledge and in skill, and to a man who did not labor in it he gives it—his portion. This also is hebel and a great evil. 22 For what is due to man in all his toil and in the intent of his heart that he labors under the sun? 23 For all his days are pains, and anger is his occupation; even in the night his heart does not lie down. Also this הבל is. 24 There is no good in humanity that he should eat and drink and make his nephesh good in his toil. This also I have seen, that from the hand of God it is. 25 For who can eat and who can enjoy apart from me? 26 For to the man who is good before him he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, and to the sinner he gives business to gather and to collect to give to the one who is good before God; this also is vapor and evil of spirit.