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Ecclesiastes 2
English Standard Version
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
Eclesiastés 2
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Eclesiastés 2
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Vanidad de las cosas terrenales
2 Entonces me dije[a]: «Ven ahora, te probaré con el placer(A); diviértete[b]». Y resultó que también esto era vanidad. 2 Dije de la risa(B): «Es locura»; y del placer: «¿Qué logra esto?». 3 Consideré en mi corazón estimular mi cuerpo[c] con el vino(C), mientras mi corazón me guiaba con sabiduría, y echar mano de la insensatez(D), hasta que pudiera ver qué hay de bueno bajo el cielo que los hijos de los hombres hacen en los contados días de su vida(E).
4 (F)Engrandecí mis obras, me edifiqué casas, me planté viñas(G); 5 me hice jardines(H) y huertos(I), y planté en ellos toda clase de árboles frutales; 6 me hice estanques de aguas(J) para regar[d] el bosque con árboles en pleno crecimiento. 7 Compré esclavos y esclavas, y tuve esclavos nacidos en casa[e](K). Tuve también ganados, vacas y ovejas(L), más que todos los que me precedieron en Jerusalén. 8 Reuní también plata y oro(M) para mí y el tesoro de los reyes y de las provincias. Me proveí de cantores y cantoras(N), y de los placeres de los hombres, de muchas concubinas[f].
9 Me engrandecí y superé a todos los que me precedieron en Jerusalén(O); también la sabiduría permaneció conmigo. 10 Y de todo cuanto mis ojos deseaban, nada les negué(P), ni privé a mi corazón de ningún placer, porque mi corazón gozaba de todo mi trabajo. Esta fue la recompensa de toda mi labor(Q). 11 Consideré luego todas las obras que mis manos habían hecho y el trabajo en que me había empeñado[g], y resultó que todo era vanidad y correr tras el viento[h](R), y sin provecho(S) bajo el sol.
12 Yo volví, pues, a considerar la sabiduría, la locura y la insensatez(T). Porque ¿qué hará el hombre que venga después del rey sino lo que ya ha sido hecho(U)? 13 Y yo vi que la sabiduría sobrepasa a la insensatez(V), como la luz a las tinieblas.
14 El sabio tiene ojos en su cabeza,
Pero el necio anda en tinieblas(W).
Aunque yo sé también que ambos corren la misma suerte(X).
15 Entonces me dije[i]: «Como la suerte del necio, así también será la mía[j](Y). ¿Para qué, pues, me aprovecha haber sido tan sabio(Z)?». Y me dije[k]: «También esto es vanidad. 16 Porque no hay memoria duradera[l] del sabio ni del[m] necio, ya que todos serán olvidados en los días venideros(AA). ¡Cómo mueren tanto el sabio como[n] el necio(AB)!». 17 Y aborrecí la vida(AC), porque me era penosa[o] la obra que se hace bajo el sol, pues todo es vanidad y correr tras el viento.
18 Asimismo aborrecí todo el fruto de mi trabajo con que me había afanado bajo el sol(AD), el cual tendré que dejar al hombre que vendrá después de mí(AE). 19 ¿Y quién sabe si será sabio o necio? Sin embargo, él tendrá dominio sobre todo el fruto de mi trabajo con que me afané obrando sabiamente bajo el sol. También esto es vanidad.
20 Por tanto me desesperé en gran manera[p] por todo el fruto de mi trabajo con que me había afanado bajo el sol. 21 Cuando hay un hombre que ha trabajado con sabiduría, con conocimiento y con destreza(AF), y da su hacienda[q] al que no ha trabajado en ella(AG), esto también es vanidad y un mal muy grande. 22 Pues, ¿qué recibe el hombre de todo su trabajo y del esfuerzo de su corazón con que se afana bajo el sol(AH)? 23 Porque durante todos sus días su tarea es dolorosa y penosa(AI); ni aun de noche descansa su corazón(AJ). También esto es vanidad.
24 No hay nada mejor para el hombre que comer y beber y decirse que su trabajo es bueno[r](AK). Yo he visto que también esto es de la mano de Dios(AL). 25 Porque ¿quién comerá y quién se alegrará sin Él[s]? 26 Porque a la persona que le agrada[t], Él le ha dado sabiduría, conocimiento(AM) y gozo; pero al pecador le ha dado la tarea de recoger y amontonar para dárselo al que agrada a[u] Dios(AN). Esto también es vanidad y correr tras el viento(AO).
Footnotes
- 2:1 Lit. Yo dije en mi corazón.
- 2:1 Lit. considera lo bueno.
- 2:3 Lit. carne.
- 2:6 Lit. regar de ellos.
- 2:7 Lit. tuve hijos de la casa.
- 2:8 Otra posible lectura es: de toda clase de instrumentos musicales; en la versión gr. (sept.), coperos y coperas.
- 2:11 Lit. trabajado para hacer.
- 2:11 O aflicción de espíritu, y así en el resto del cap.
- 2:15 Lit. Yo dije en mi corazón.
- 2:15 Lit. también caerá sobre mí.
- 2:15 Lit. hablé en mi corazón.
- 2:16 Lit. para siempre.
- 2:16 Lit. con.
- 2:16 Lit. con.
- 2:17 Lit. mala.
- 2:20 Lit. Y volví a desesperar mi corazón.
- 2:21 Lit. porción.
- 2:24 Lit. hacer que su alma vea bueno su trabajo.
- 2:25 Así en la versión gr. (sept.); en heb. mí.
- 2:26 Lit. que es buena ante Él.
- 2:26 Lit. que es buena ante Él.
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.
Ecclesiastes 2
King James Version
Ecclesiastes 2
King James Version
2 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
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Nueva Biblia de las Américas (NBLA) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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