Ecclesiastes 2

The Vanity of Pleasure and Possessions

I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with ^agladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. 2 ^aI said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” 3 I explored with my heart how to ¹^astimulate my ²body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize ^bsimpleminded folly, until I could see ^cwhere is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. 4 I made my works great: I ^abuilt houses for myself; I planted ^bvineyards for myself; 5 I made for myself ^agardens and ^bparks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made for myself ^apools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves, and I had ¹^ahomeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and ^bherds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and ^agold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself ^bmale and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines.
9 Then I became ^agreat and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 ^aAll that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my ^breward for all my labor. 11 Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was ¹^avanity and striving after wind, and there was ^bno advantage under the sun.

Wisdom Excels Folly

12 So I turned to ^asee wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except ^bwhat has already been done? 13 And I saw that there is an advantage in ^awisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the ^afool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the ^bfate of one becomes the fate of all of them. 15 Then I said in my heart, “^aAs is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. ^bWhy then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is ^ano remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And ^bhow the wise man dies with the fool! 17 So I ^ahated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was ¹grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind.

The Vanity of Labor

18 Thus I hated ^aall the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must ^bleave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or ^aa man of simpleminded folly? Yet he will have ¹power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is ^bvanity. 20 Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and ^askill, then he ^bgives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in ^aall his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his endeavor is painful and ^avexing; even at night his heart ^bdoes not lie down. This too is vanity.
24 ¹There is ^anothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is ^bfrom the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of ¹Him? 26 For to a man who is good before Him, ^aHe has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may ^bgive to one who is good before God. This too is ^cvanity and striving after wind.

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