Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to Ecclesiastes 2
Close NASB

Ecclesiastes 2
New American Standard Bible

The Futility of Pleasure and Possessions

2 I said [a]to myself, “Come now, I will test you with (A)pleasure. So [b]enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 (B)I said of laughter, “It is senseless,” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored with my [c]mind how to (C)refresh my body with wine while my [d]mind was guiding me wisely; and how to seize (D)foolishness, until I could see (E)what good there is for the sons of mankind [e]to do under heaven for the few [f]years of their lives. 4 I enlarged my works: I (F)built houses for myself, I planted (G)vineyards for myself; 5 I made (H)gardens and (I)parks for myself, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made (J)ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had [g](K)slaves born at home. I also possessed flocks and (L)herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed for myself silver and (M)gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself (N)male and female singers, and the pleasures of the sons of mankind: many concubines.

9 Then I became (O)great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 (P)All that my eyes desired, I did not refuse them. I did not restrain my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor; and this was my (Q)reward for all my labor. 11 So I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had [h]exerted, and behold, all was (R)futility and striving after wind, and there was (S)no benefit under the sun.

Wisdom Surpasses Foolishness

12 So I turned to (T)consider wisdom, insanity, and foolishness; for what will the man do who will come after the king, except (U)what has already been done? 13 Then I saw that (V)wisdom surpasses foolishness as light surpasses darkness. 14 The wise person’s eyes are in his head, but the (W)fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that (X)one and the same fate happens to [i]both of them. 15 Then I said [j]to myself, “(Y)As is the fate of the fool, it will also happen to me. (Z)Why then have I been extremely wise?” So [k]I said to myself, “This too is futility.” 16 For there is (AA)no [l]lasting remembrance of the wise, along with the fool, since in the coming days everything will [m]soon be forgotten. And (AB)how the wise and the fool alike die! 17 So I (AC)hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was [n]unhappy to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

The Futility of Labor

18 So I hated (AD)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, because I must (AE)leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be wise or (AF)a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is (AG)futility. 20 Therefore I [o]completely despaired over all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a person who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and (AH)skill, and then (AI)gives his [p]legacy to one who has not labored for it; this too is futility and a great evil. 22 For what does a person get in (AJ)all his labor and in [q]his striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his activity is painful and (AK)irritating; even at night his [r]mind (AL)does not rest. This too is futility.

24 There is (AM)nothing better for a person than to eat and drink, and show [s]himself some good in his trouble. This too I have seen, that it is (AN)from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without [t]Him? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight, (AO)He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may (AP)give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is (AQ)futility and striving after wind.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit in my heart
  2. Ecclesiastes 2:1 Lit consider with goodness
  3. Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
  4. Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit heart
  5. Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit which they do
  6. Ecclesiastes 2:3 Lit days
  7. Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit sons
  8. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Lit labored to do
  9. Ecclesiastes 2:14 Lit all of
  10. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit in my heart
  11. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit I spoke in my heart
  12. Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit forever
  13. Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit already
  14. Ecclesiastes 2:17 Lit evil
  15. Ecclesiastes 2:20 Lit turned aside my heart to despair
  16. Ecclesiastes 2:21 Lit share
  17. Ecclesiastes 2:22 Lit the striving of his heart
  18. Ecclesiastes 2:23 Lit heart
  19. Ecclesiastes 2:24 Lit his soul
  20. Ecclesiastes 2:25 As in LXX; Heb me
Listen to Ecclesiastes 2
Close NIV

Ecclesiastes 2
New International Version

Pleasures Are Meaningless

2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself(E) and planted vineyards.(F) 5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. 6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves(G) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. 8 I amassed silver and gold(H) for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.(I) I acquired male and female singers,(J) and a harem[a] as well—the delights of a man’s heart. 9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem(K) before me.(L) In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired;
    I refused my heart no pleasure.
My heart took delight in all my labor,
    and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done
    and what I had toiled to achieve,
everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;(M)
    nothing was gained under the sun.(N)

Wisdom and Folly Are Meaningless

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom,
    and also madness and folly.(O)
What more can the king’s successor do
    than what has already been done?(P)
13 I saw that wisdom(Q) is better than folly,(R)
    just as light is better than darkness.
14 The wise have eyes in their heads,
    while the fool walks in the darkness;
but I came to realize
    that the same fate overtakes them both.(S)

15 Then I said to myself,

“The fate of the fool will overtake me also.
    What then do I gain by being wise?”(T)
I said to myself,
    “This too is meaningless.”
16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered;(U)
    the days have already come when both have been forgotten.(V)
Like the fool, the wise too must die!(W)

Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(X) 18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.(Y) 19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?(Z) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. 20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. 21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. 22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?(AA) 23 All their days their work is grief and pain;(AB) even at night their minds do not rest.(AC) This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink(AD) and find satisfaction in their own toil.(AE) This too, I see, is from the hand of God,(AF) 25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?(AG) 26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom,(AH) knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth(AI) to hand it over to the one who pleases God.(AJ) This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 2:8 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
Next
Ecclesiastes 1
Ecclesiastes 3
Next
dropdown
New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation
New International Version (NIV)

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.

July Summer Surge

More on the NIV