Ecclesiastes 2
New King James Version
The Vanity of Pleasure(A)
2 I said (B)in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with (C)mirth; [a]therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, (D)this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 (E)I searched in my heart how [b]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 (F)good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.
4 I made my works great, I built myself (G)houses, and planted myself vineyards. 5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made myself water pools from which to [c]water the growing trees of the grove. 7 I acquired male and female servants, and had [d]servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8 (H)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 [e]musical instruments of all kinds.
9 (I)So I became great and [f]excelled (J)more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10 Whatever 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 (K)this was my [g]reward from all my labor.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was (L)vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
The End of the Wise and the Fool
12 Then I turned myself to consider wisdom (M)and madness and folly;
For what can the man do who succeeds the king?—
Only what he has already (N)done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom (O)excels folly
As light excels darkness.
14 (P)The wise man’s eyes are in his head,
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That (Q)the same event happens to them all.
15 So I said in my heart,
“As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?”
Then I said in my heart,
“This also is vanity.”
16 For there is (R)no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,
Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.
And how does a wise man die?
As the fool!
17 Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
18 Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because (S)I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his [h]heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 (T)For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23 For all his days are (U)sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24 (V)Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, [i]more than I? 26 For God gives (W)wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that (X)he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 gladness
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit. to draw my flesh
- Ecclesiastes 2:6 irrigate
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit. sons of my house
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 Exact meaning unknown
- Ecclesiastes 2:9 Lit. increased
- Ecclesiastes 2:10 Lit. portion
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit. portion
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 So with MT, Tg., Vg.; some Heb. mss., LXX, Syr. without Him
傳道書 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
2 我心裡想：「來吧，不如盡情享樂，好好享受！」唉！結果這也是虛空。 2 我說：「歡笑只不過是一陣狂妄，享樂又有什麼用！」 3 於是，我決意用酒使自己快樂，在體驗愚昧的同時仍然保持理智，直到我明白在短暫的人生歲月中做何事才有益。 4 我大動工程，為自己建造房屋，栽種葡萄園， 5 開墾花圃園囿，種植各種果樹， 6 開鑿池塘，澆灌茂林。 7 我買了僕婢，又有生在家中的僕婢，擁有的牛羊遠超過有史以來耶路撒冷的任何人。 8 我為自己積聚金銀，搜羅列王和各省的奇珍異寶，得到男女歌優及許多妃嬪——都是世人所想望的。 9 這樣，我便財勢日增，享譽盛名，超過耶路撒冷歷來所有的人。然而，我仍然保持智慧。 10 凡我眼睛愛看的、心裡渴慕的，我都隨心所欲，盡情享受。我的心從勞碌中得到歡樂，這是我勞碌所得的回報。 11 然而，當我回顧雙手辛勤經營的一切成就時，唉，卻發現都是虛空，都是捕風；日光之下的一切都毫無益處。 12 於是，我轉念思考什麼是智慧、狂妄和愚昧。其實以後接替君王的人除了重演歷史之外，還能做什麼呢？ 13 我領悟到智慧勝過愚昧，如同光明勝過黑暗。 14 智者高瞻遠矚，愚人卻在黑暗中摸索。但我知道兩者終必有同樣的命運。 15 於是，我想：「既然愚人的命運也將是我的命運，我有智慧又怎麼樣呢？我只能說，『這也是虛空。』」 16 因為智者和愚人一樣，不過被人記得一時，日後都會被遺忘。兩者都難逃死亡。 17 所以，我憎惡生命，因為在日光之下所做的一切都令我愁煩。唉！這一切都是虛空，都是捕風。 18 我憎惡自己在日光之下勞碌得來的一切，因為這些必留給後人。 19 誰知道那人是智者還是愚人呢？然而，他卻要接管我在日光之下用智慧辛勤經營的產業。這也是虛空。 20 因此，我對自己在日光之下一切的勞碌感到絕望。 21 一個人用智慧、知識和技能所得來的一切，卻要留給不勞而獲的人享用，這也是虛空，是極大的不幸！ 22 世人在日光之下勞心勞力，究竟得到什麼呢？ 23 他們一生充滿痛苦，勞碌中盡是愁煩，即使夜間心裡也不安寧。這也是虛空。 24 對人而言，沒有什麼比吃喝並享受勞碌之樂更好，我看這也是出自上帝的手。 25 離了上帝，誰還能吃喝享受呢？ 26 上帝把智慧、知識和喜樂賜給祂喜悅的人，卻讓罪人忙於積攢財富，然後把他們的財富賜給祂喜悅的人。這也是虛空，也是捕風。
Ecclesiastes 2
English Standard Version
The Vanity of Self-Indulgence
2 I (A)said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.[a] 2 I (B)said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I (C)searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on (D)folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4 I made great works. I (E)built houses and planted (F)vineyards for myself. 5 I made myself (G)gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6 I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and had (H)slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of (I)herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered for myself silver and (J)gold and the treasure of (K)kings and (L)provinces. I got (M)singers, both men and women, and many (N)concubines,[b] the delight of the sons of man.
9 So I became great and (O)surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my (P)wisdom remained with me. 10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart (Q)found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my (R)reward for all my toil. 11 Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was (S)vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing (T)to be gained under the sun.
The Vanity of Living Wisely
12 (U)So I turned to consider (V)wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only (W)what has already been done. 13 Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. 14 (X)The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the (Y)same event happens to all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, (Z)“What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. 16 For of the wise as of the fool there is (AA)no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. (AB)How the wise dies just like the fool! 17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for (AC)all is vanity and a striving after wind.
The Vanity of Toil
18 I hated (AD)all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must (AE)leave it to the man who will come after me, 19 and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? 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 (AF)turned about and gave my heart up to despair (AG)over all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21 because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22 What has a man from (AH)all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For (AI)all his days are full of sorrow, and his (AJ)work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
24 (AK)There is nothing better for a person than that he should (AL)eat and drink and find enjoyment[c] in his toil. This also, I saw, is (AM)from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him[d] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him (AN)God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given (AO)the business of gathering and collecting, (AP)only to give to one who pleases God. (AQ)This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on 1:2)
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew word is uncertain
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Or and make his soul see good
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
