Ecclesiastes 2
2
The Spokesman Studies Laughter
1I thought to myself, “Now I want to experiment with pleasure and enjoy myself.” But even this was pointless.
2I thought, “Laughter doesn’t make any sense. What does pleasure accomplish?”
The Spokesman Studies Wine
3I explored ways to make myself feel better by drinking wine. I also explored ways to do ⌞some⌟ foolish things. During all that time, wisdom continued to control my mind. I was able to determine whether this was good for mortals to do during their brief lives under heaven.
The Spokesman Studies Personal Achievements
4I accomplished some great things:
I built houses for myself.
I planted vineyards for myself.
5I made gardens and parks for myself.
I planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6I made pools to water the forest of growing trees.
7I bought male and female slaves.
In addition, slaves were born in my household.
I owned more herds and flocks
than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8I also gathered silver and gold for myself.
I gathered the treasures of kings and provinces.
I provided myself with male and female singers
and the pleasures men have with one concubine #2:8 A concubine is considered a wife except she has fewer rights under the law. after another.
9So I grew richer than anyone in Jerusalem before me. Yet, my wisdom remained with me. 10If something appealed to me, I did it. I allowed myself to have any pleasure I wanted, since I found pleasure in my work. This was my reward for all my hard work.
11But when I turned to look at all that I had accomplished and all the hard work I had put into it, I saw that it was all pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind. I gained nothing ⌞from any of my accomplishments⌟ under the sun.
Death Is the Common Destiny of All Life
12Then I turned ⌞my attention⌟ to experience wisdom, madness, and foolishness. For instance, what can the man who replaces the king do? Only what has already been done. 13But I saw that wisdom has an advantage over foolishness as light has an advantage over darkness. 14A wise person uses the eyes in his head, but a fool walks in the dark. But I have also come to realize that the same destiny waits for both of them.
15I thought to myself, “⌞If⌟ the destiny that waits for the fool waits for me as well, then what is the advantage in being wise?” So I thought that even this is pointless.
Without God Everything Is Pointless
16Neither the wise person nor the fool will be remembered for long, since both will be forgotten in the days to come. Both the wise person and the fool will die. 17So I came to hate life because everything done under the sun seemed wrong to me. Everything was pointless. ⌞It was like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
18I came to hate everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun, because I will have to leave it to the person who replaces me. 19Who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? He will still have control over everything under the sun for which I worked so hard and used my wisdom. Even this is pointless.
20Then I fell into despair over everything for which I had worked so hard under the sun. 21Here is someone who had worked hard with wisdom, knowledge, and skill. Yet, he must turn over his estate to someone else, who didn’t work for it. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy.
22What do people get from all of their hard work and struggles under the sun? 23Their entire life is filled with pain, and their work is unbearable. Even at night their minds don’t rest. Even this is pointless.
With God Even the Simplest Things Have a Point
24There is nothing better for people to do than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in their work. I saw that even this comes from the hand of God. 25Who can eat or enjoy themselves without God? 26God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to anyone who pleases him. But to the person who continues to sin, he gives the job of gathering and collecting ⌞wealth⌟. The sinner must turn his wealth over to the person who pleases God. Even this is pointless. ⌞It’s like⌟ trying to catch the wind.
Currently Selected:
Ecclesiastes 2: GW
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 2
2
The Vanity of Pleasure
1And I said in my heart, “Come, and I will test you with selfish pleasures; enjoy your desires.” # Ecc 8:15; Lk 12:19; 1Co 15:22 And notice that this too is vanity. 2And I said of frivolous fun, # Pr 14:13; Ecc 7:6 “They are only senseless ideas,” and regarding selfish pleasure, “What purpose is this?” 3I investigated how to cheer up my body with wine, # Pr 20:1 while my heart was still guiding me with wisdom, in order to grasp folly, # Ecc 1:17 until I might experience what is good for people to do under heaven during the number of days that they might have life.
4I accomplished great works. I built houses for myself # 1Ki 7:1–12 and planted vineyards for myself. 5I made myself royal gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. 6I made myself pools of water # Ne 2:14 to irrigate the forests of growing trees. 7I even bought male and female slaves, and some were born in my house. I also had a great number of livestock, cattle, and sheep, more than there had been before in Jerusalem. 8I also gathered for myself silver and gold # 1Ki 9:28 and precious possessions of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, # 2Sa 19:35 and the sensual delights of any human being, even a harem of many concubines. # 1Ki 11:1–3 9I became great and surpassed anyone who had been in Jerusalem before me. # 1Ch 29:25; Ecc 1:16 Also my wisdom remained with me.
10Everything my eyes wanted, I did not refuse them.
I did not withhold my heart from any selfish pleasure,
for my heart was glad of all my efforts;
and this was my reward for all my efforts. # Ecc 3:22; 5:18
11Then I turned to all the work that my hands had done,
and all the labor in which I had toiled doing it;
and again, all of it was vanity and chasing the wind,
and there was no benefit under the sun. # Ecc 1:3, 14
The Vanity of Wisdom and Folly
12Then I turned to observe wisdom,
the folly of ideas, and foolish behavior. # Ecc 1:17; 7:25
For what else can a person do who comes after the king?
Only what has already been done.
13Then I saw that there is more benefit in wisdom # Ecc 7:11–12 than in foolishness,
more benefit in light than in darkness.
14A wise man has eyes in his head,
but the fool continues in darkness. # Pr 17:24
Moreover, I experienced
that each one experiences the same event—death. # Ps 49:10; Ecc 3:19
15Then I said in my heart,
“The same event that befalls the fool will also befall me.
So to what advantage is my wisdom?” # Ecc 6:8
Then I said to myself,
“This also is vanity.”
16For there is no lasting remembrance # Ecc 1:11; 9:5 of the wise or the fool,
seeing that in the coming days everyone will have been forgotten.
How the wise dies just like the fool!
The Vanity of Labor
17So I began to hate life, because the labor that was done under the sun was contemptible to me, for all of this is vanity and a chasing after wind. # Ecc 2:11 18I despised all the toil in which I labored under the sun, which I will give up to the man who comes after me. # Ps 39:6 19And who knows if this man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will gain power over all for which I have toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. 20So I turned to give my heart up to despair concerning all the toil of my labors under the sun. 21For there is a person who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet to a person who did not labor for this, he leaves it as his inheritance. This also is vanity and a great distress. 22What becomes a man for all his labor and striving in his heart with which he toils under the sun? # Ecc 1:3; 3:9 23All his days are sorrowful, # Job 5:7; 14:1 and his work is a vexation. Even at night his heart finds no rest. This also is vanity.
24There is nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and make his life see the good in his labor. # Ecc 3:12–13, 22 This I have seen is from the hand of God. 25For who can even eat or have enjoyment more than I? # 2:25 Some Hb and Gk texts, apart from Him. 26To the person who is pleasing before Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the one who sins, He gives the task to gather and collect, # Job 27:16–17 to give to the other person who is pleasing before God. # Pr 13:22 This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version
Copyright © 2024, 2017, 2014 by United Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House. All rights reserved.