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
New Living Translation
The Futility of Pleasure
2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.
4 I also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful vineyards. 5 I made gardens and parks, filling them with all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I built reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. 7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 8 I collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire!
9 So I became greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed me. 10 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 11 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.
The Wise and the Foolish
12 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?[a]). 13 I thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better than darkness. 14 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 15 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 16 For the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten.
17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
The Futility of Work
18 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 19 And who can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 20 So I gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world.
21 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 22 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 23 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless.
24 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat or enjoy anything apart from him?[b] 26 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.
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