Ecclesiastes 2 Parallel Bible Translations

Ecclesiastes 2 ▼
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1 I told myself, |I will test you with pleasure, so enjoy yourself.| But this was pointless. 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 |Senseless,| said I concerning laughter and pleasure, |How practical is this?| 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 decided to indulge in wine, while still remaining committed to wisdom. I also tried to indulge in foolishness, just enough to determine whether it was good for human beings under heaven given the short time 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 With respect to my extravagant works, I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself. 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 constructed gardens and orchards for myself, and within them I planted all kinds of fruit trees. 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 built for myself water reservoirs to irrigate forests that produce 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 male and female slaves, and had other slaves born in my house. I also acquired for myself increasing numbers of herds and flocks—more than anyone who had lived before me 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 also accumulated silver, gold, and the wealth of kings and their kingdoms. I gathered around me both male and female singers, along with what delights a man—all sorts of mistresses. 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, greater than anyone who had lived before me in Jerusalem. Throughout all of this, I remained wise. 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 Whenever I wanted something I had seen, I never refused that desire. Instead, I enjoyed everything I did, and this became the reward in what I had undertaken. 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 Then I examined all of my accomplishments that I had brought about by my own efforts, including the work that I had labored so hard to complete—and it was all pointless, like chasing after the wind, and there was nothing to be gained on earth. 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 Next I turned to examine wisdom, insanity, and foolishness, because what can a person do who succeeds the king except what has already been accomplished? 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 I concluded that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than 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 use their eyes, but the fool walks in darkness. I also perceived that the same outcome affects them all. 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 Then I told myself, |Whatever happens to the fool will happen also to me. Therefore what's the point in being so wise?| And I told myself that this also is pointless. 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 neither the wise nor the fool will be long remembered, since in days to come everything will be forgotten. The wise man dies the same way as the fool, does he not? 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 So I hated life, because whatever is done on earth causes me trouble—it's all pointless, like chasing 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 Then I despised everything I had worked for on earth, that is, the things that I will leave to the person who will succeed 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 foolish? Either way, he will take possession of everything that I have done on earth, especially where I have excelled. This also is pointless. 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 So I came to be in despair about everything I had accomplished on earth. 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 sometimes people who strive to obtain wisdom, knowledge, and equity leave everything as an inheritance to a person who never worked for it. This, too, is pointless and greatly troublesome. 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 does a person gain from everything that he accomplishes and from his inner life struggles that he undergoes while working on earth? 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 Indeed, all of his days are filled with sorrow, and his struggles bring grief. In fact, his mind remains restless throughout the night. This is pointless, too! 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 The only worthwhile thing for a human being is to eat, drink, and enjoy life's goodness that he finds in what he accomplishes. This, I observed, is also from the hand of God himself, 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 or enjoy life 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 After all, to the person who is good in God's sight, he gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner he gives the troublesome task of acquiring and accumulating in order to leave it to someone who is good in the sight of God. This also is pointless and chasing 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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