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Ecclesiastes 2
Christian Standard Bible
Ecclesiastes 2
Christian Standard Bible
The Emptiness of Pleasure
2 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;(A) enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2 I said about laughter,(B) “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my mind the pull of wine(C) on my body—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to grasp folly,(D) until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven[a] during the few days of their lives.(E)
The Emptiness of Possessions
4 I increased my achievements. I built houses(F) and planted vineyards(G) for myself. 5 I made gardens(H) and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I constructed reservoirs for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.(I) 7 I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.(J) I also owned livestock—large herds and flocks—more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.(K) 8 I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(L) I gathered male and female singers for myself,(M) and many concubines, the delights of men.[b][c] 9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;(N) my wisdom also remained with me. 10 All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.(O) I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.(P) 11 When I considered all that I had accomplished[d] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.[e](Q) There was nothing to be gained under the sun.(R)
The Relative Value of Wisdom
12 Then I turned to consider wisdom,(S) madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor[f] be like? He[g] will do what has already been done.(T) 13 And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.(U)
14 The wise person has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness.(V)
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.(W) 15 So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” (X) And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16 For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise,(Y) since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies just like the fool? 17 Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18 I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun(Z) because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.(AA) 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool?(AB) Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I began to give myself over[h] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21 When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,(AC) and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22 For what does a person get with all his work and all his efforts(AD) that he labors at under the sun? 23 For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;(AE) even at night, his mind does not rest.(AF) This too is futile.
24 There is nothing better for a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy[i][j] his work.(AG) I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,(AH) 25 because who can eat and who can enjoy life[k] apart from him?[l] 26 For to the person who is pleasing in his sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy;(AI) but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.(AJ) This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.(AK)
Footnotes
- 2:3 Two Hb mss, LXX, Syr read the sun
- 2:8 LXX, Theod, Syr read and male cupbearers and female cupbearers; Aq, Tg, Vg read a cup and cups; Hb obscure
- 2:8 Or many treasures that people delight in
- 2:11 Lit all my works that my hands had done
- 2:11 Or a feeding on wind, or an affliction of spirit; also in vv. 17,26
- 2:12 Lit the man who comes after the king
- 2:12 Some Hb mss read They
- 2:20 Lit And I turned to cause my heart
- 2:24 Syr, Tg; MT reads There is no good in a person who eats and drinks and enjoys
- 2:24 Lit and his soul sees good
- 2:25 LXX, Theod, Syr read can drink
- 2:25 Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read me
Ecclesiastes 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Ecclesiastes 2
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
The Futility of Self-Indulgence
2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity.(A) 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”(B) 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself;(C) 5 I made myself gardens and parks and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.(D) 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, many concubines.[a](E)
9 So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me.(F) 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure from all my toil, and this was my reward from all my toil.(G) 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.(H)
Wisdom and Joy Given to One Who Pleases God
12 So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly, for what can the king’s successor do? Only what has already been done.(I) 13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them.(J) 15 Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity.(K) 16 For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? 17 So I hated life because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.(L)
18 I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to my successor,(M) 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun,(N) 21 because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.(O) 22 What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun?(P) 23 For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.(Q)
24 There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,(R) 25 for apart from him[b] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.(S)
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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