Ecclesiastes, the Preacher

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- Kapitel 2 -

The futility of pleasure

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with happiness. So enjoy pleasure.” But look, this also was just a temporary breeze.

I said about laughter, “It is crazy,” and about pleasure, “What use is it?”

I explored in my heart how to gratify my desires with wine. I let my mind guide me with wisdom although I was still holding on to folly. I wanted to find out what is good for people to do under heaven during the days of their lives.

I accomplished great things. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

I built for myself gardens and parks; I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

I created pools of water to water a forest where trees were grown.

I purchased male slaves and female slaves; I had slaves born in my palace. I also had large herds and flocks of livestock, much more than any king who ruled before me in Jerusalem.

I also accumulated for myself silver and gold, the treasures of kings and provinces. I got male and female singers for myself, and delights from the children of mankind, concubines and wives.

So I became greater and wealthier than all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom remained with me.

Whatever my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, because my heart rejoiced in all my labor and pleasure was my reward for all my work.

Then I looked on all the deeds that my hands had accomplished, and on the work that I had done, but again, everything was vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind. There was no profit under the sun in it.

The wise and the foolish

Then I turned to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. For what can the next king do who comes after the king, which has not already been done?

Then I began to understand that wisdom has advantages over folly, just as light is better than darkness.

The wise man uses his eyes in his head to see where he is going, but the fool walks in darkness, although I know the same destiny is in store for everyone.

Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool, will also happen to me. So what difference does it make if I am very wise?” I concluded in my heart, “This too is only vapor.”

For the wise man, like the fool, is not remembered for very long. In the days to come everything will have been long forgotten. The wise man dies just like the fool dies.

So I detested life because all the work done under the sun was evil to me. This was because everything is vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

The futility of labor

I hated all my accomplishments for which I had worked under the sun because I must leave them behind to the man who comes after me.

For who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over everything under the sun that my work and wisdom have built. This also is vapor.

Therefore, my heart began to despair over all the work under the sun that I did.

For there might be someone who works with wisdom, with knowledge, and skill, but he will leave everything he has to a man who has not made any of it. This also is vapor and a great tragedy.

For what profit does the person gain who works so hard and tries in his heart to complete his labors under the sun?

Every day his work is painful and stressful, so at night his soul does not find rest. This also is vapor.

There is nothing better for anyone than to simply eat and drink and be satisfied with what is good in his work. I saw that this truth comes from God’s hand.

For who can eat or who can have any kind of pleasure apart from God?

For to anyone who pleases him, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. However, to the sinner he gives the work of gathering and storing up so that he may give it away to someone who pleases God. This also amounts to vapor and an attempt to shepherd the wind.

The futility of pleasure

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure;” and behold, this also was vanity.

I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”

I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.

I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.

I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.

I made myself pools of water, to water the forest where trees were grown.

I bought male servants and female servants, and had servants born in my house. I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all who were before me in Jerusalem.

I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men: musical instruments of all sorts.

So I was great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me.

Whatever my eyes desired, I didn’t keep from them. I didn’t withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.

Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

The wise and the foolish

I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.

Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.

The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.

Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory forever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool!

So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.

The futility of labor

I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.

For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.