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Ecclesiastes 2
Legacy Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 2
Legacy Standard Bible
The Vanity of Pleasure and Possessions
2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with (A)gladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. 2 (B)I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” 3 I explored with my heart how to [a](C)stimulate my [b]body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize (D)simpleminded folly, until I could see (E)where is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. 4 I made my works great: I (F)built houses for myself; I planted (G)vineyards for myself; 5 I made for myself (H)gardens and (I)parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made for myself (J)pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had [c](K)homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and (L)herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and (M)gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself (N)male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines.
9 Then I became (O)great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 (P)All that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my (Q)reward for all my labor. 11 Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was [d](R)vanity and striving after wind, and there was (S)no advantage under the sun.
Wisdom Excels Folly
12 So I turned to (T)see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except (U)what has already been done? 13 And I saw that there is an advantage in (V)wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the (W)fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the (X)fate of one becomes the fate of all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “(Y)As is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. (Z)Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is (AA)no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And (AB)how the wise man dies with the fool! 17 So I (AC)hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was [e]grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind.
The Vanity of Labor
18 Thus I hated (AD)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must (AE)leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or (AF)a man of simpleminded folly? Yet he will have [f]power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is (AG)vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and (AH)skill, then he (AI)gives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in (AJ)all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his endeavor is painful and (AK)vexing; even at night his heart (AL)does not lie down. This too is vanity.
24 [g]There is (AM)nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is (AN)from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of [h]Him? 26 For to a man who is good before Him, (AO)He has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may (AP)give to one who is good before God. This too is (AQ)vanity and striving after wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit drag
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit flesh
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit sons of the house
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 Or futility, so in ch
- Ecclesiastes 2:17 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 2:19 Lit dominion
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Lit There is nothing good in man, who should eat
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 As in Gr; Heb me
Ecclesiastes 2
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 2
New International Version
Pleasures Are Meaningless
2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(E) and planted vineyards.(F) 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(G) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold(H) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(I) I acquired male and female singers,(J) and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(K) before me.(L) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(M)
nothing was gained under the sun.(N)
Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless
12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
and also madness and folly.(O)
What more can the king’s successor do
than what has already been done?(P)
13 I saw that wisdom(Q) is better than folly,(R)
just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
that the same fate overtakes them both.(S)
15 Then I said to myself,
“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
What then do I gain by being wise?”(T)
I said to myself,
“This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(U)
the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(V)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(W)
Toil Is Meaningless
17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(X) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(Y) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(Z) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AA) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AB) even at night their minds do not rest.(AC) This too is meaningless.
24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AD) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(AE) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(AF) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(AG) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(AH) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(AI) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(AJ) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
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