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
Evangelical Heritage Version
2 I thought in my heart, “Go ahead, test yourself with[a] pleasure to see what is good.”[b] But, oh, that too is vapor.
2 About laughter, I said, “Madness!” About pleasure, “What good is it?”
3 As my heart kept guiding me with wisdom, I put it to work researching how to relax my body[c] with wine and how to grasp why people do stupid things.[d] My goal was to see what was good for people to do under the sky, during the few days of their lives.
4 I undertook great projects. I built houses for myself. I planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6 I made reservoirs of water for myself to irrigate a forest of sprouting trees. 7 I acquired male and female servants. I also had slaves that were born in my own house. Livestock too! I had more herds and flocks than anyone before me in Jerusalem. 8 I piled up silver and gold for myself, as well as treasures from kings and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives great pleasure to men—one concubine after another.[e]
9 So I became great, and I surpassed all who were in Jerusalem before me. Nevertheless, my wisdom still stayed with me. 10 Whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them. I did not hold my heart back from any pleasure. My heart even took pleasure in all my hard work. This was what I got from all my hard work.
11 But when I turned my attention to everything that my hands had done and to how hard I had worked for it—note this—it was all vapor, all chasing the wind. There was no benefit under the sun.
12 I turned my attention to consider wisdom, madness, and stupidity—for what will the man do who will succeed the king? Only what has already been done. 13 I saw wisdom is better than stupidity, as light is better than darkness. 14 The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also knew that one fate meets[f] them all. 15 So I said in my heart, “The same fate that meets the fool will also meet me. So why then have I been overly wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is just vapor.”
16 No one will remember the wise man or the fool for long. In days to come, all of them will already be forgotten. How does the wise man die? Just like the fool. 17 So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was so frustrating for me, because everything is vapor and chasing the wind. 18 I also hated all the results of my hard work, for which I worked so hard under the sun, since I must leave it all to the man who comes after me. 19 And who knows—will he be wise, or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the results of my hard work, for which I worked so hard and so wisely, under the sun. This too is vapor that vanishes.
20 So I changed my course, and my heart began to despair over all my hard work at which I worked so hard under the sun. 21 Sure, there may be a man who has worked hard—wisely, aptly, and skillfully. But he must hand over whatever he accumulated by all his hard work to a man who has not worked hard for it. This too is vapor. It’s so unfair! 22 For what does a man gain through all his hard work, through all the turmoil in his heart, as he works so hard under the sun?
23 Pain fills all his days. His occupation is frustration. Even at night his heart does not rest. This too is vapor.
The Best We Can Hope For
24 There is nothing better for a man than to eat and to drink and to find joy in his work. This too, I saw, is from God’s hand. 25 For who can eat or enjoy himself apart from him?[g] 26 Yes, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and happiness to the man whom he considers good, but to the person who goes on sinning God gives the task of gathering and collecting, but only so that he can give it all to a person whom God considers good. This too is vapor, nothing but chasing wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Or experiment with
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Or in order to have a good time
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Or indulge my flesh. Literally draw out my flesh.
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Or try reckless things
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of this phrase is uncertain. Most translations regard it as a reference to a harem.
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 Or destination awaits
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 Variant more than me
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