Ecclesiastes 2:17-26

Expanded Bible

Is There Real Happiness in Life?

¹⁷ So I hated life. ·It made me sad to think that everything [^LFor evil is the work that is done] ·here on earth [^Lunder the sun; 1:3] is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind. ¹⁸ I hated all the things I had ·worked [toiled] for ·here on earth [^Lunder the sun; 1:3], because I must leave them to someone who will live after me. ¹⁹ Someone else will control everything for which I ·worked so hard [toiled so wisely] ·here on earth [^Lunder the sun; 1:3], and ·I don’t know [^Lwho knows…?] if he will be wise or foolish. This is also useless [1:2]. ²⁰ So I ·became sad [despaired; ^Lcaused my heart to despair] about all the ·hard work [toil] I had done ·here on earth [^Lunder the sun; 1:3]. ²¹ People can work hard using all their wisdom, knowledge, and ·skill [success], but they will ·die, and other people will get the things for which they worked [^Lleave their reward to others]. They did not do the work, but they will get everything. This is ·also unfair [a great evil] and useless [1:2]. ²² What do people get for all their ·work [toil] and ·struggling [anxiety] ·here on earth [^Lunder the sun; 1:3]? ²³ All of their ·lives [^Ldays] their work is full of pain and ·sorrow [frustration], and even at night their ·minds [^Lhearts] don’t ·rest [^Llie down]. This is also useless [1:2].

²⁴ ·The best that people can do is [^LThere is nothing better for people than to] eat, drink, and enjoy their ·work [toil]. I saw that even this comes from God, ²⁵ because ·no one [^Lwho…?] can eat or ·enjoy life [or worry] without him. ²⁶ If people please God, God will give them wisdom, knowledge, and ·joy [pleasure]. But ·sinners [or people who offend; ^Coffend God] will get only the work of gathering wealth that they will have to give to the ones who please God. So all their work is useless [1:2], like chasing the wind [3:12–14, 22; 5:18–20; 8:15; 9:7–10; ^Cthe little pleasures are distractions from the meaningless world].