To the chief musician. A Contemplation. A Psalm of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to him, David has come to the house of Ahimelech. Why do you boast yourself in evil, O mighty one? The mercy of God is all the day.
And all that my eyes asked, I did not withdraw from them. I withheld not my heart from all joy; for my heart rejoiced from all my labor; and this was my portion from all my labor.
Then I faced on all my works that my hands had done, and on the labor that I had labored to do. And, behold, all is vanity and striving after wind, and there is no profit under the sun.
For God gives wisdom, and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and to heap up, to give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and striving after wind.
For the event of the sons of men, and the event of beasts, even one event is to them. As this one dies, so that one dies; yea, one breath is to all; so that there is to the man no advantage over the beast; for all is vanity.
There is no end to all the people, to all who have been before them; also the later ones shall not rejoice with him. Surely this is also vanity and striving after wind.
And I considered all labor, and every advantage of the work, that it is the envy of a man against his neighbor; this is also vanity and striving after wind.
There is one alone, and there is not a second; and there is not a son or a brother to him; and there is not an end to all his labor; even his eyes are not satisfied with riches; and he says, For whom do I labor, and my soul be without good? This is also vanity; yea, it is an evil task.
No one is able to serve two lords; for either he will hate the one, and he will love the other; or he will cleave to the one, and he will despise the other. You are not able to serve God and wealth.
For the love of money is a root of all evils, by means of which some stretching toward it were led astray from the faith, and they themselves pierced through by many pains.