Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2: BIBLE, New American Standard Bible == BIBLE-CENTER

Ecclesiastes, Chapter 2

¹ I said^a Lit in my heartto myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So^b Lit consider with goodnessenjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. ² I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” ³ I explored with my^c Lit heartmind how to stimulate my body with wine while my^d Lit heartmind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men^e Lit which they doto do under heaven the few^f Lit daysyears of their lives. ⁴ I enlarged my works: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself; ⁵ I made gardens and parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; ⁶ I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and I had^g Lit sons of the househomeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. ⁸ Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.	1 Ecc 7:4 Ecc 8:15 2 Pro 14:13 Ecc 7:3 Ecc 7:6 3 Jdg 9:13 Psa 104:15 Ecc 10:19 Ecc 7:25 Ecc 2:24 Ecc 3:12 Ecc 3:13 Ecc 5:18 Ecc 6:12 Ecc 8:15 Ecc 12:13 4 Ki1 7:1-12 Sol 8:11 5 Sol 4:16 Sol 5:1 Neh 2:8 6 Neh 2:14 Neh 3:15 Neh 3:16 7 Gen 14:14 Gen 15:3 Ki1 4:23 8 Ki1 9:28 Ki1 10:10 Ki1 10:14 Ki1 10:21 Sa2 19:35
⁹ Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. ¹⁰ All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had^h Lit labored to doexerted, and behold all wasⁱ Or futility, and so throughout the chvanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.	9 Ch1 29:25 Ecc 1:16 10 Ecc 6:2 Ecc 3:22 Ecc 5:18 Ecc 9:9 11 Ecc 1:14 Ecc 2:22 Ecc 2:23 Ecc 1:3 Ecc 3:9 Ecc 5:16
¹² So I turned to consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except what has already been done? ¹³ And I saw that wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. ¹⁴ The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that one fate befalls them both. ¹⁵ Then I said^j Lit in my heartto myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So^k Lit I spoke in my heartI said to myself, “This too is vanity.” ¹⁶ For there is no^l Lit foreverlasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man and the fool alike die! ¹⁷ So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was^m Lit evilgrievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.	12 Ecc 1:17 Ecc 1:9 Ecc 1:10 Ecc 3:15 13 Ecc 7:11 Ecc 7:12 Ecc 7:19 Ecc 9:18 Ecc 10:10 14 Jo1 2:11 Psa 49:10 Ecc 3:19 Ecc 6:6 Ecc 7:2 Ecc 9:2 Ecc 9:3 15 Ecc 2:16 Ecc 6:8 Ecc 6:11 16 Ecc 1:11 Ecc 9:5 Ecc 2:14 17 Ecc 4:2 Ecc 4:3
¹⁸ Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will haveⁿ Lit dominioncontrol over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. ²⁰ Therefore I^o Lit turned aside my heart to despaircompletely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. ²¹ When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his^p Lit sharelegacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. ²² For what does a man get in all his labor and in^q Lit the striving of his hearthis striving with which he labors under the sun? ²³ Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his^r Lit heartmind does not rest. This too is vanity.	18 Ecc 1:3 Ecc 2:11 Psa 39:6 Psa 49:10 19 Ki1 12:13 Ti1 6:10 21 Ecc 4:4 Ecc 2:18 22 Ecc 1:3 Ecc 2:11 23 Job 5:7 Job 14:1 Ecc 1:18 Ecc 5:17 Psa 127:2
²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and^stell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without^t So Gr; Heb meHim? ²⁶ For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.	24 Ecc 2:3 Ecc 3:12 Ecc 3:13 Ecc 3:22 Ecc 5:18 Ecc 6:12 Ecc 8:15 Ecc 9:7 Isa 56:12 Luk 12:19 Co1 15:32 Ti1 6:17 Ecc 3:13 26 Job 32:8 Pro 2:6 Job 27:16 Job 27:17 Pro 13:22 Ecc 1:14


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