Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

English Standard Version

The Vanity of Wisdom

¹²I ^(A)the Preacher have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And 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. ¹⁴I 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.

¹⁶I 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.” ¹⁷And 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.

¹⁸For ^(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] ²I ^(L)said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” ³I ^(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. ⁴I made great works. I ^(O)built houses and planted ^(P)vineyards for myself. ⁵I made myself ^(Q)gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. ⁷I 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. ⁸I 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.

⁹So I became great and ^(Y)surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my ^(Z)wisdom remained with me. ¹⁰And 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. ¹¹Then 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.

Footnotes

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