Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:26
New American Standard Bible
The Futility of Wisdom
12 I, the (A)Preacher, have been king over Israel in Jerusalem. 13 And I (B)set my [a]mind to seek and (C)explore by wisdom about everything that has been done under heaven. It is a [b](D)sorry task with which God has given the sons of mankind to be troubled. 14 I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is (E)futility and striving after wind. 15 What is (F)crooked cannot be straightened, and what is lacking cannot be counted.
16 I [c]said to myself, “Behold, I have magnified and increased (G)wisdom more than all who were over Jerusalem before me; and my [d]mind has observed [e]a wealth of wisdom and knowledge.” 17 And I (H)applied my [f]mind to know wisdom and to (I)know insanity and foolishness; I realized that this also is (J)striving after wind. 18 Because (K)in much wisdom there is much grief; and increasing knowledge results in increasing pain.
The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions
2 I said [g]to myself, “Come now, I will test you with (L)pleasure. So [h]enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 (M)I said of laughter, “It is senseless,” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my [i]mind how to (N)refresh my body with wine while my [j]mind was guiding me wisely; and how to seize (O)foolishness, until I could see (P)what good there is for the sons of mankind [k]to do under heaven for the few [l]years of their lives. 4 I enlarged my works: I (Q)built houses for myself, I planted (R)vineyards for myself; 5 I made (S)gardens and (T)parks for myself, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made (U)ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had [m](V)slaves born at home. I also possessed flocks and (W)herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed for myself silver and (X)gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself (Y)male and female singers, and the pleasures of the sons of mankind: many concubines.
9 Then I became (Z)great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 (AA)All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my (AB)reward for all my labor. 11 So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had [n]exerted, and behold, all was (AC)futility and striving after wind, and there was (AD)no benefit under the sun.
Wisdom Surpasses Foolishness
12 So I turned to (AE)consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness; for what will the man do who will come after the king, except (AF)what has already been done? 13 Then I saw that (AG)wisdom surpasses foolishness as light surpasses darkness. 14 The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the (AH)fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that (AI)one and the same fate happens to [o]both of them. 15 Then I said [p]to myself, “(AJ)As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. (AK)Why then have I been extremely wise?” So [q]I said to myself, “This too is futility.” 16 For there is (AL)no [r]lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will [s]soon be forgotten. And (AM)how the wise and the fool alike die! 17 So I (AN)hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was [t]unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.
The Futility of Labor
18 So I hated (AO)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must (AP)leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or (AQ)a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is (AR)futility. 20 Therefore I [u]completely despaired over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a person who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and (AS)skill, and then (AT)gives his [v]legacy to one who has not labored for it; this too is futility and a great evil. 22 For what does a person get in (AU)all his labor and in [w]his striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his activity is painful and (AV)irritating; even at night his [x]mind (AW)does not rest. This too is futility.
24 There is (AX)nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show [y]himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is (AY)from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without [z]Him? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight, (AZ)He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may (BA)give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is (BB)futility and striving after wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 1:13 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit spoke with my heart, saying
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 1:16 Lit an abundance
- Ecclesiastes 1:17 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit consider with goodness
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit which they do
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit days
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit sons
- Ecclesiastes 2:11 Lit labored to do
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 Lit all of
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit I spoke in my heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit forever
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit already
- Ecclesiastes 2:17 Lit evil
- Ecclesiastes 2:20 Lit turned aside my heart to despair
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit share
- Ecclesiastes 2:22 Lit the striving of his heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:23 Lit heart
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Lit his soul
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 As in LXX; Heb me
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