2I ^xsaid in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity.¹ ²I ^ysaid of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

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Footnotes

1The Hebrew term hebel can refer to a “vapor” or “mere breath”; also verses 11, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 26 (see note on )

Cross references

x Luke 12:19
y[Prov. 14:13]

In other versions

NIVNew International Version (2011)

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. “Laughter,” I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?”

CSBChristian Standard Bible

I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. I said about laughter, “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”

NLTNew Living Translation

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. So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

I said to myself, “Come! I will test pleasure to see whether it is worthwhile.” But look, “This also is vanity!” I said of laughter, “It is folly!” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

KJV 1900King James Version

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

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