Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
English Standard Version
17 So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for (A)all is vanity and a striving after wind.
The Vanity of Toil
18 I hated (B)all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must (C)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 (D)turned about and gave my heart up to despair (E)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 (F)all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? 23 For (G)all his days are full of sorrow, and his (H)work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
24 (I)There is nothing better for a person than that he should (J)eat and drink and find enjoyment[a] in his toil. This also, I saw, is (K)from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him[b] who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26 For to the one who pleases him (L)God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given (M)the business of gathering and collecting, (N)only to give to one who pleases God. (O)This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 Or and make his soul see good
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 Some Hebrew manuscripts, Septuagint, Syriac; most Hebrew manuscripts apart from me
Ecclesiastes 2:17-26
International Standard Version
17 So I hated life, because whatever is done on earth causes me trouble—it’s all pointless, like chasing after the wind.
The Pointlessness of Labor
18 Then I despised everything I had worked for on earth, that is, the things that I will leave to the person who will succeed me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless. 20 So I came to be in despair about everything I had accomplished on earth. 21 For sometimes people who strive to obtain wisdom, knowledge, and equity leave everything as an inheritance to a person who never worked for it. This, too, is pointless and greatly troublesome.
22 For what does a person gain from everything that he accomplishes and from his inner life struggles that he undergoes while working on earth? 23 Indeed, all of his days are filled with sorrow, and his struggles bring grief. In fact, his mind remains restless throughout the night. This is pointless, too!
The Central Point of Life
24 The only worthwhile thing for a human being is to eat, drink, and enjoy life’s goodness that he finds in what he accomplishes. This, I observed, is also from the hand of God himself, 25 for who can eat or enjoy life apart from him? 26 After all, to the person who is good in God’s sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing after the wind.
Read full chapterThe Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
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