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Ecclesiastes 2

Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2009 (HCSB)

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¹ I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; ⓐ enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.

² I said about laughter, ⓑ “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

³ I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life [1] with wine ⓒ and how to grasp folly ⓓ — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven [2] during the few days of their lives. ⓔ

⁴ I increased my achievements. I built houses ⓕ and planted vineyards ⓖ for myself.

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

⁶ I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. ⓘ

⁷ I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. ⓙ I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. ⓚ

⁸ I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. ⓛ I gathered male and female singers for myself, ⓜ and many concubines, the delights of men. [3] [4]

⁹ So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; ⓝ my wisdom also remained with me.

¹⁰ All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. ⓞ I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. ⓟ

¹¹ When I considered all that I had accomplished [5] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. ⓠ There was nothing to be gained under the sun. ⓡ

¹² Then I turned to consider wisdom, ⓢ madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He [6] will do what has already been done. ⓣ

¹³ And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. ⓤ

¹⁴ The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. ⓥ Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. ⓦ

¹⁵ So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” ⓧ And I said to myself that this is also futile.

¹⁶ For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, ⓨ since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool?

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

¹⁸ I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun ⓩ because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ⓐ

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? ⓑ Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.

²⁰ So I began to give myself over [7] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.

²¹ When there is a man whose work was done 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 wrong.

²² For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts ⓓ that he labors at under the sun?

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

²⁴ There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy [8] [9] his work. ⓖ I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ⓗ

²⁵ because who can eat and who can enjoy life [10] apart from Him? [11]

²⁶ For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, ⓘ but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. ⓙ This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ⓚ

#	HCSB
1	I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; ⓐ enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile.
2	I said about laughter, ⓑ “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”
3	I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life [1] with wine ⓒ and how to grasp folly ⓓ — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven [2] during the few days of their lives. ⓔ
4	I increased my achievements. I built houses ⓕ and planted vineyards ⓖ for myself.
5	I made gardens ⓗ and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them.
6	I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. ⓘ
7	I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. ⓙ I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. ⓚ
8	I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. ⓛ I gathered male and female singers for myself, ⓜ and many concubines, the delights of men. [3] [4]
9	So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; ⓝ my wisdom also remained with me.
10	All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. ⓞ I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. ⓟ
11	When I considered all that I had accomplished [5] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. ⓠ There was nothing to be gained under the sun. ⓡ
12	Then I turned to consider wisdom, ⓢ madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He [6] will do what has already been done. ⓣ
13	And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. ⓤ
14	The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. ⓥ Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. ⓦ
15	So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” ⓧ And I said to myself that this is also futile.
16	For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, ⓨ since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool?
17	Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.
18	I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun ⓩ because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ⓐ
19	And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? ⓑ Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile.
20	So I began to give myself over [7] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.
21	When there is a man whose work was done 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 wrong.
22	For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts ⓓ that he labors at under the sun?
23	For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; ⓔ even at night, his mind does not rest. ⓕ This too is futile.
24	There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy [8] [9] his work. ⓖ I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ⓗ
25	because who can eat and who can enjoy life [10] apart from Him? [11]
26	For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, ⓘ but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. ⓙ This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ⓚ

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Ecclesiastes 2

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