Ecclesiastes 2

Revised Geneva Translation

2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. Therefore, enjoy yourself.” And behold, this also is vanity.

² I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of joy, “What does it accomplish?”

³ I sought in my heart to give myself to wine while leading my heart in wisdom, and to take hold of folly until I might see what goodness there is for the children of men to do under the heaven all the days of their life.

⁴ I have made my great works. I have built myself houses. I have planted vineyards.

⁵ I have made myself gardens and orchards and planted all fruit trees in them.

⁶ I have made myself cisterns of water with which to water the woods that grow with trees.

⁷ I have gotten servants and maids and had children in the house. Also, I had a great possession of herds and flocks above all who were before me in Jerusalem.

⁸ I have also gathered to me silver and gold and the chief treasures of kings and provinces. I have provided myself men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men, a woman taken captive and women taken captives.

⁹ And I was great and increased above all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom remained with me also.

¹⁰ And whatever my eyes desired I did not withhold from them. I did not withdraw my heart from any pleasure; for my heart rejoiced in all my labor. And this was my reward for all my labor.

¹¹ Then I looked on all my works that my hands had wrought, and on the work that I had labored to do. And behold, all is vanity and grasping at the wind. And there is no profit under the Sun.

¹² And I turned to behold wisdom and madness and folly. For what may the man who will come after the king do except that which men now have done?

¹³ Then I saw that there is more profit in wisdom than in folly, as the light is more excellent than darkness.

¹⁴ For the wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also know that the same condition befalls them all.

¹⁵ Then I thought in my heart, “What happens to me, happens to the fool. Therefore, why do I labor to be more wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

¹⁶ For there shall be no remembrance of either the wise or the fool, forever. For in the days to come, what now is shall all be forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Just as the fool!

¹⁷ Therefore, I hated life. For the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous to me. For all is vanity and grasping at the wind.

¹⁸ I also hated all my labor in which I had travailed under the Sun, which I shall leave to the man who shall come after me.

¹⁹ And who knows whether he shall be wise or foolish? Yet he shall have rule over all my labor in which I have travailed, and in which I have shown myself wise under the Sun. This is also vanity.

²⁰ Therefore, I went about to make my heart abhor all the labor in which I had travailed under the Sun.

²¹ For there is a man whose travail is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in skill. Yet, he shall give his portion to a man who has not travailed in these. This also is vanity, and a great grief.

²² For what has man for all the labor and grief of his heart in which he has travailed under the Sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows, and his work grief. Also, his heart does not take rest in the night, which is also vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man but that he eat and drink and delight his soul with the profit of his labor. This I saw, also, that it was of the Hand of God.

²⁵ For who could eat and who could seek enjoyment more than I?

²⁶ Surely to a man who is good in His sight, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner He gives pain to gather and to heap, to give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping at the wind.