Ecclesiastes 1:12-2:11

New King James Version

The Grief of Wisdom

¹²I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. ¹³And I set my heart to seek and ^(A)search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; ^(B)this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be ^[a]exercised. ¹⁴I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind.

¹⁵^(C)What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.

¹⁶I communed with my heart, saying, “Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained ^(D)more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has ^[b]understood great wisdom and knowledge.” ¹⁷^(E)And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind.

¹⁸For ^(F)in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.

The Vanity of Pleasure^(G)

2 I said ^(H)in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with ^(I)mirth; ^[c]therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, ^(J)this also was vanity. ²I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” ³^(K)I searched in my heart how ^[d]to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was ^(L)good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

⁴I made my works great, I built myself ^(M)houses, and planted myself vineyards. ⁵I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶I made myself water pools from which to ^[e]water the growing trees of the grove. ⁷I acquired male and female servants, and had ^[f]servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. ⁸^(N)I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and ^[g]musical instruments of all kinds.

⁹^(O)So I became great and ^[h]excelled ^(P)more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.

¹⁰Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And ^(Q)this was my ^[i]reward from all my labor.
¹¹Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was ^(R)vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.