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.
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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
1I said #Luke 12:19in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with #Prov. 14:13; (Eccl. 7:4; 8:15)mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, #Eccl. 1:2this also was vanity. 2I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3#Eccl. 1:17I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was #(Eccl. 3:12, 13; 5:18; 6:12)good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.
4I made my works great, I built myself #1 Kin. 7:1–12houses, and planted myself vineyards. 5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. 7I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8#1 Kin. 9:28; 10:10, 14, 21I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds.
9#Eccl. 1:16So I became great and excelled #2 Chr. 9:22more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10Whatever 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 labor;
And #Eccl. 3:22; 5:18; 9:9this was my reward from all my labor.
11Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was #Eccl. 1:3, 14vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
The End of the Wise and the Fool
12Then I turned myself to consider wisdom #Eccl. 1:17; 7:25and madness and folly;
For what can the man do who succeeds the king?—
Only what he has already #Eccl. 1:9done.
13Then I saw that wisdom #Eccl. 7:11, 14, 19; 9:18; 10:10excels folly
As light excels darkness.
14#Prov. 17:24; Eccl. 8:1The wise man’s eyes are in his head,
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That #Ps. 49:10; Eccl. 9:2, 3, 11the same event happens to them all.
15So I said in my heart,
“As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?”
Then I said in my heart,
“This also is vanity.”
16For there is #Eccl. 1:11; 4:16no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,
Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.
And how does a wise man die?
As the fool!
17Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
18Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because #Ps. 49:10I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. 20Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. 21For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. 22#Eccl. 1:3; 3:9For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? 23For all his days are #Job 5:7; 14:1sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24#Eccl. 3:12, 13, 22; Is. 56:12; Luke 12:19; 1 Cor. 15:32; (1 Tim. 6:17)Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. 25For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? 26For God gives #Job 32:8; Prov. 2:6; James 1:5wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that #Job 27:16, 17; Prov. 28:8he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.