Ecclesiastes 2 Parallel Bible Translations

Ecclesiastes 2 ▼
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1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness, and look on the good!” And behold, this also is vapor. I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless.
2 Of laughter, I said, “It is madness,” and of joy, “What is this accomplishing?” I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?”
3 I 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. I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine—my heart still guiding me with wisdom—and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.
4 I made great my works; I built for myself houses, and I planted for myself vineyards; I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.
5 I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them a tree of every fruit. I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6 I made for myself pools of water, to cause to drink from them a grove of sprouting trees. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
7 I 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; I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8 I 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. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.
9 So I became great, and I added more than all who were before my face in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom stood with me. So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.
10 And 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. And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.
11 And 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. Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.
12 And 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! So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?
13 And I saw that there is profit to wisdom above folly, like the profit of the light over the darkness. Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.
14 The 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. The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.
15 And 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.” Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”
16 For 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! For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!
17 And 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. So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind. So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
18 And 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. I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.
19 And 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. and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity. And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.
20 And I turned around my heart to despair over all the toil that I have toiled under the sun. So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun, So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.
21 For 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. because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.
22 For what has been for the man for all his toil and for the striving of his heart, with which he toils under the sun? What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun? What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?
23 For all his days are pains, and anger is his task; even in the night his heart will not find rest. This also is vapor. For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity. All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.
24 Nothing 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; There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,
25 for who can eat, and who can enjoy, apart from Him? for apart from him who can eat or who can have enjoyment? for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?
26 For 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. For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.
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