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Ecclesiastes 2

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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 the pull of wine ⓜ on my body — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to grasp folly, ⓝ until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven [1] 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 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 livestock — large herds 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. [2] [3]

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 [4] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. [5] ⓜ There was nothing to be gained under the sun. ⓝ

¹² Then I turned to consider wisdom, ⓐ madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor [6] be like? He [7] 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 person 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, ⓖ since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person 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 one who comes after me. ⓘ

¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be wise 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 [8] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.

²¹ When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, ⓚ and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong.

²² For what does a person 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 a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy [9] [10] his work. ⓐ I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ⓑ

²⁵ because who can eat and who can enjoy life [11] apart from him? [12]

²⁶ For to the person 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. ⓔ

#	CSB
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 the pull of wine ⓜ on my body — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — and how to grasp folly, ⓝ until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven [1] 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 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 livestock — large herds 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. [2] [3]
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 [4] and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. [5] ⓜ There was nothing to be gained under the sun. ⓝ
12	Then I turned to consider wisdom, ⓐ madness, and folly, for what will the king’s successor [6] be like? He [7] 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 person 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, ⓖ since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise person 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 one who comes after me. ⓘ
19	And who knows whether he will be wise 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 [8] to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun.
21	When there is a person whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, ⓚ and he must give his portion to a person who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong.
22	For what does a person 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 a person than to eat, drink, and enjoy [9] [10] his work. ⓐ I have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ⓑ
25	because who can eat and who can enjoy life [11] apart from him? [12]
26	For to the person 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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