Keraia
Wisdom and Poetry

Ecclesiastes 2

The Futility of Pleasure

1I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!”

But it proved to be futile.

1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness, and look on the good!” And behold, this also is vapor.

2I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

2Of laughter, I said, “It is madness,” and of joy, “What is this accomplishing?”

3I sought to cheer my body with wine and to embrace folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.

3I searched in my heart to draw out my flesh with wine, and my heart was guiding me in wisdom, and to lay hold on folly, until that I might see where is this good for the sons of man, that they might do under the heavens the number of the days of their lives.

4I expanded my pursuits. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.

4I made great my works; I built for myself houses, and I planted for myself vineyards;

5I made gardens and parks for myself, where I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

5I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them a tree of every fruit.

6I built reservoirs to water my groves of flourishing trees.

6I made for myself pools of water, to cause to drink from them a grove of sprouting trees.

7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and servants were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me,

7I acquired menservants and maidservants, and sons of the house were unto me; also there were unto me great possessions of cattle and sheep, more than all who were before my face in Jerusalem;

8and I accumulated for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered to myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—many concubines.

8I gathered for myself also silver and gold, and the property of kings and of the provinces; I appointed for myself male singers and female singers, and the delights of the sons of man—a wife and wives.

9So I became great and surpassed all in Jerusalem who had preceded me; and my wisdom remained with me.

9So I became great, and I added more than all who were before my face in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom stood with me.

10Anything my eyes desired, I did not deny myself. I refused my heart no pleasure. For my heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.

10And all that my eyes asked, I did not lay aside from them; I did not withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced in all my toil—and this was my portion from all my toil.

11Yet when I considered all the works that my hands had accomplished and what I had toiled to achieve, I found everything to be futile, a pursuit of the wind; there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

11And I turned to all the works that my hands had done, and to the toil that I had toiled to do, and behold—all was vapor and a striving after the wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

The Wise and the Foolish

12Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what more can the king’s successor do than what has already been accomplished?

12And I turned to look at wisdom and madness and folly. For what is the man who comes after the king—that which already they have done!

13And I saw that wisdom exceeds folly, just as light exceeds darkness:

13And I saw that there is profit to wisdom above folly, like the profit of the light over the darkness.

14The wise man has eyes in his head,

but the fool walks in darkness.

Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.

14The wise one, his eyes are in his head, and the fool is walking in the darkness. And I also knew of that event—the one that happens to all of them.

15So I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will also befall me. What then have I gained by being wise?”

And I said to myself that this too is futile.

15And I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, it will also happen to me. Then what is profit to me in being wise?” And I said in my heart, “This also is vapor.”

16For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise, just as with the fool, seeing that both will be forgotten in the days to come. Alas, the wise man will die just like the fool!

16For there is no memory of the wise with the fool, forever, in that already in the days that are coming all will be forgotten. And how a wise one will die like the fool!

17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

17And I have hated this life, because the work was evil to me that was done under the sun—for all is vapor and a striving after the wind.

The Futility of Work

18I hated all for which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.

18And I hated all my toil that I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19And who knows whether that man will be wise or foolish? Yet he will take over all the labor at which I have worked skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? And he will rule over all my toil that I have toiled, and that I have done wisely, under the sun. This also is vapor.

20So my heart began to despair over all the labor that I had done under the sun.

20And I turned around my heart to despair over all the toil that I have toiled under the sun.

21When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great evil.

21For there is a man whose toil is with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, and to a man not having toiled for it he must give his portion. This also is vapor and a great evil.

22For what does a man get for all the toil and striving with which he labors under the sun?

22For what has been for the man for all his toil and for the striving of his heart, with which he toils under the sun?

23Indeed, all his days are filled with grief, and his task is sorrowful; even at night, his mind does not rest. This too is futile.

23For all his days are pains, and anger is his task; even in the night his heart will not find rest. This also is vapor.

24Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.

24Nothing is better for the man than to eat and drink, and his soul to see good in his toil. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God;

25For apart from Him, who can eat and who can find enjoyment?

25for who can eat, and who can enjoy, apart from Him?

26To the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He assigns the task of gathering and accumulating that which he will hand over to one who pleases God. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

26For to the man who is good in His eyes, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; and to the sinner He gives the task to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before the face of God. This also is vapor, and a striving after the wind.