Ecclesiastes 2
2
The Futility of Self-Indulgence
1I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was good for mortals to do under heaven during the few days of their life. 4I made great works; I built houses and planted vineyards for myself; 5I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house; I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. 8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I got singers, both men and women, and delights of the flesh, and many concubines.#2.8 Meaning of Heb uncertain
9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. 10Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. 11Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had spent in doing it, and again, all was vanity and a chasing after wind,#2.11 Or a feeding on wind. See Hos 12.1 and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Wisdom and Joy Given to One Who Pleases God
12So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the one do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. 13Then I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness.
14The wise have eyes in their head,
but fools walk in darkness.
Yet I perceived that the same fate befalls all of them. 15Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also; why then have I been so very wise?” And I said to myself that this also is vanity. 16For there is no enduring remembrance of the wise or of fools, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How can the wise die just like fools? 17So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.#2.17 Or a feeding on wind. See Hos 12.1
18I hated all my toil in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to those who come after me 19—and who knows whether they will be wise or foolish? Yet they will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20So I turned and gave my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun, 21because sometimes one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave all to be enjoyed by another who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which they toil under the sun? 23For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.
24There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God; 25for apart from him#2.25 Gk Syr: Heb apart from me who can eat or who can have enjoyment? 26For to the one who pleases him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and heaping, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.#2.26 Or a feeding on wind. See Hos 12.1
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 2
2
The Emptiness of Pleasure
1I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; # Ec 7:4; 8:15; Lk 12:19 enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2I said about laughter, # Pr 14:13; Ec 7:3,6 “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish? ” 3I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life # Lit to pull my body with wine # Ps 104:15; Ec 10:19 and how to grasp folly # Ec 7:25 — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven # Two Hb mss, LXX, Syr read the sun during the few days of their lives. # Ec 2:24; 3:12,13; 5:18; 8:15
The Emptiness of Possessions
4I increased my achievements. I built houses # 1Kg 7:1-12 and planted vineyards # Sg 8:11 for myself. 5I made gardens # Sg 4:16 and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. # Neh 2:14; 3:15-16 7I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. # Gn 14:14; 15:3 I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. # 1Kg 4:23 8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. # 1Kg 9:28; 10:10,14,21 I gathered male and female singers for myself, # 2Sm 19:35 and many concubines, the delights of men. # LXX, Theod, Syr read and male cupbearers and female cupbearers ; Aq, Tg, Vg read a cup and cups ; Hb obscure # Or many treasures that people delight in 9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; # 1Ch 29:25; Ec 1:16 my wisdom also remained with me. 10All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. # Ec 6:2 I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. # Ec 3:22; 5:18; 9:9 11When I considered all that I had accomplished # Lit all my works that my hands had done and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. # Ec 1:14; 2:22-23 There was nothing to be gained under the sun. # Ec 1:3; 3:9; 5:16
The Relative Value of Wisdom
12Then I turned to consider wisdom, # Ec 1:17 madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He # Some Hb mss read They will do what has already been done. # Ec 1:9-10; 3:15 13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. # Ec 7:11-12,19; 9:18; 10:10
14The wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool walks in darkness. # Pr 2:10-13; 1Jn 2:11
Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. # Ps 49:10; Ec 3:19; 6:6; 7:2; 9:2-3 15So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise? ” # Ec 6:8,11; 7:16 And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, # Dt 32:26; 2Sm 18:18; Ec 1:11; 9:5 since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
The Emptiness of Work
18I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun # Ec 1:3; 2:11 because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. # Ps 39:6; 49:10; Pr 13:22 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? # Ezk 18:9-10 Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20So I began to give myself over # Lit And I turned to cause my heart to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, # Ec 4:4 and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts # Ec 1:3; 2:11 that he labors at under the sun? 23For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; # Jb 5:7; 14:1 even at night, his mind does not rest. # Ps 127:2 This too is futile.
24There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy # Syr, Tg; MT reads There is no good in man who eats and drinks and enjoys # Lit and his soul sees good his work. # Ec 2:3; 3:12-13,22; 5:18; 6:12; 8:15; 9:7; Is 56:12; Lk 12:19; 1Co 15:32; 1Tm 6:17 I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, # Ec 3:13 25because who can eat and who can enjoy life # LXX, Theod, Syr read can drink apart from Him? # Some Hb mss, LXX, Syr read me 26For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, # Jb 32:8; Pr 2:6 but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. # Jb 27:16-17; Pr 13:22; 28:8 This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. # Ec 1:14
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