Ecclesiastes 2 Parallel Bible Translations

Ecclesiastes 2 ▼
swipe to see more →
NLT
New Living Translation
ESV
English Standard Version
NIV
New International Version
+Add
1 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 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 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 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 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world. 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 also tried to find meaning by building huge homes for myself and by planting beautiful 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 gardens and parks, filling them with 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 reservoirs to collect the water to irrigate my many flourishing groves. I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.
7 I bought slaves, both men and women, and others were born into my household. I also owned large herds and flocks, more than any of the kings who had lived in Jerusalem before me. 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 collected great sums of silver and gold, the treasure of many kings and provinces. I hired wonderful singers, both men and women, and had many beautiful concubines. I had everything a man could desire! 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 greater than all who had lived in Jerusalem before me, and my wisdom never failed 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 Anything I wanted, I would take. I denied myself no pleasure. I even found great pleasure in hard work, a reward for all my labors. 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 But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere. 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 So I decided to compare wisdom with foolishness and madness (for who can do this better than I, the king?). 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 thought, “Wisdom is better than foolishness, just as light is better 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 For the wise can see where they are going, but fools walk in the dark.” Yet I saw that the wise and the foolish share the same fate. 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 Both will die. So I said to myself, “Since I will end up the same as the fool, what’s the value of all my wisdom? This is all so meaningless!” 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 the wise and the foolish both die. The wise will not be remembered any longer than the fool. In the days to come, both will be forgotten. 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 came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing 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 I came to hate all my hard work here on earth, for I must leave to others everything I have earned. 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 can tell whether my successors will be wise or foolish? Yet they will control everything I have gained by my skill and hard work under the sun. How meaningless! 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 gave up in despair, questioning the value of all my hard work in this world. 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 Some people work wisely with knowledge and skill, then must leave the fruit of their efforts to someone who hasn’t worked for it. This, too, is meaningless, a great tragedy. 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 So what do people get in this life for all their hard work and anxiety? 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 Their days of labor are filled with pain and grief; even at night their minds cannot rest. It is all meaningless. 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 So I decided there is nothing better than to enjoy food and drink and to find satisfaction in work. Then I realized that these pleasures are 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 or enjoy anything 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 God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to those who please him. But if a sinner becomes wealthy, God takes the wealth away and gives it to those who please him. This, too, is meaningless—like chasing 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.
Previous chapter
Top of Page
Top of Page