Ecclesiastes 2
2
1I said in my heart, ‘Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;’ and lo, even it [is] vanity.
2Of laughter I said, ‘Foolish!’ and of mirth, ‘What [is] this it is doing?’
3I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly till that I see where [is] this — the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.
4I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.
5I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
6I made for me pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.
7I got men-servants, and maid-servants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance — herd and flock — above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.
8I gathered for me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for me men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man — a wife and wives.
9And I became great, and increased above every one who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood with me.
10And all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from all my labour,
11and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!
12And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who cometh after the king? that which [is] already — they have done it!
13And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the darkness.
14The wise! — his eyes [are] in his head, and the fool in darkness is walking, and I also knew that one event happeneth with them all;
15and I said in my heart, ‘As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?’ And I spake in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:
16That there is no remembrance to the wise — with the fool — to the age, for that which [is] already, [in] the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dieth the wise? with the fool!
17And I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
18And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.
19And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also [is] vanity.
20And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.
21For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it — his portion! Even this [is] vanity and a great evil.
22For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?
23For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this also [is] vanity.
24There is nothing good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it [is] from the hand of God.
25For who eateth and who hasteth out more than I?
26For to a man who [is] good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
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Ecclesiastes 2: YLT98
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Qoheleth (Ecclesiastes) 2
2
1I said in my heart, “Come now, let me try you with rejoicing and find out what is good.” But see, that too was futile.
2I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of rejoicing, “What does it do?”
3I searched in my heart how to stimulate my body with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their lives.
4I made my works great, I built myself houses, I planted vineyards for myself.
5I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6I made pools of water for myself, to water from them a plantation of growing trees.
7I bought male and female servants, and I came to have sons of the household. Also, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were before me in Yerushalayim.
8I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasures of sovereigns and of the provinces. I provided male and female singers for myself, and the pleasures of men – a woman and women.
9Thus I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Yerushalayim. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10And all that my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labour. And this was my portion from all my labour.
11But when I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled, see, all was futile and feeding on wind, and there was no gain under the sun.
12And I turned myself to look at wisdom, and madness, and folly. For what would the man do who comes after the sovereign except what already has been done?
13Then I saw that wisdom is better than folly, as light is better than darkness.
14The wise one’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I also knew that one event befalls them all.
15And I said in my heart, “As the event of the fool, even so it befalls me, and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is futile.”
16For there is no more lasting remembrance of the wise than of the fool, since in the days to come all is forgotten. And how does a wise man die? With the fool!
17And I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was evil on me, for all is futile and feeding on wind.
18And I hated all my labour in which I had toiled under the sun, because I leave it to a man who would come after me.
19And who knows whether he is wise or foolish? Yet he shall rule over all my labour in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. That too is futile.
20So I turned my heart and despaired of all the labour in which I had toiled under the sun.
21For a man might labour with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he leaves his heritage to a man who has not laboured for it. That too is futile and a great evil.
22For what does a man get for all his labour and strain of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?
23For all his days are sufferings, and his work grievous; even in the night his heart takes no rest. That too is futile.
24A man could do no better but to eat and drink, and enjoy himself in his labour! That too, I saw, was from the hand of Elohim.
25For who eats or who finds enjoyment without Him?
26For He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His eyes. But to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and collecting, to give to him who is good before Elohim. That too is futile and feeding on wind.
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