Tamaño de la fuente
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11
English Standard Version
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11
English Standard Version
The Vanity of Wisdom
12 I (A)the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (B)applied my heart[a] to seek and to search out by wisdom all that is done under heaven. It is an unhappy (C)business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 14 I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is (D)vanity[b] and a striving after wind.[c]
15 (E)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said in my heart, “I have acquired great (F)wisdom, surpassing all who were over Jerusalem before me, and my heart has had great experience of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I (G)applied my heart to know wisdom and to know (H)madness and folly. I perceived that this also is but (I)a striving after wind.
18 For (J)in much wisdom is much vexation,
and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
The Vanity of Self-Indulgence
2 I (K)said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.[d] 2 I (L)said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I (M)searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on (N)folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I (O)built houses and planted (P)vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself (Q)gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had (R)slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of (S)herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and (T)gold and the treasure of (U)kings and (V)provinces. I got (W)singers, both men and women, and many (X)concubines,[e] the delight of the sons of man.
9 So I became great and (Y)surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my (Z)wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart (AA)found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my (AB)reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was (AC)vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing (AD)to be gained under the sun.
Notas al pie
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 The Hebrew term denotes the center of one's inner life, including mind, will, and emotions
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath” (see note on 1:2)
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 Or a feeding on wind; compare Hosea 12:1 (also in Ecclesiastes 1:17; 2:11, 17, 26; 4:4, 6, 16; 6:9)
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on 1:2)
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11
New International Version
Wisdom Is Meaningless
12 I, the Teacher,(A) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.(B) 13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.(C) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!(D) 14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(E)
15 What is crooked cannot be straightened;(F)
what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I said to myself, “Look, I have increased in wisdom more than anyone who has ruled over Jerusalem before me;(G) I have experienced much of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 Then I applied myself to the understanding of wisdom,(H) and also of madness and folly,(I) but I learned that this, too, is a chasing after the wind.
Pleasures Are Meaningless
2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(L) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(M) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(N) and embracing folly(O)—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(P) and planted vineyards.(Q) 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(R) 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(S) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(T) I acquired male and female singers,(U) and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(V) before me.(W) 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;(X)
nothing was gained under the sun.(Y)
Notas al pie
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.