Ecclesiastes 2–4

The Emptiness of Pleasure

2I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; ^denjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. ²I said about laughter, ^e“It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” ³I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life ^fwith wine ^gand how to grasp folly ^h—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven ⁱduring the few days of their lives. ^j

The Emptiness of Possessions

⁴I increased my achievements. I built houses ^kand planted vineyards ^lfor myself. ⁵I made gardens ^mand parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. ⁶I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees. ⁿ⁷I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house. ^oI also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. ^p8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. ^qI gathered male and female singers for myself, ^rand many concubines, the delights of men. ^st9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem; ^umy wisdom also remained with me. ¹⁰All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them. ^vI did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles. ^w11When I considered all that I had accomplished ^xand what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^yThere was nothing to be gained under the sun. ^z

The Relative Value of Wisdom

¹²Then I turned to consider wisdom, ^amadness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? He ^bwill do what has already been done. ^c13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness. ^d

¹⁴The wise man has eyes in his head,

but the fool walks in darkness. ^e

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both. ^f15So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise?” ^gAnd I said to myself that this is also futile. ¹⁶For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man, ^hsince in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? ¹⁷Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The Emptiness of Work

¹⁸I hated all my work that I labored at under the sun ⁱbecause I must leave it to the man who comes after me. ^j19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? ^kYet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. ²⁰So I began to give myself over ^lto despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. ²¹When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, ^mand he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. ²²For what does a man get with all his work and all his efforts ⁿthat he labors at under the sun? ²³For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful; ^oeven at night, his mind does not rest. ^pThis too is futile.

²⁴There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoy ^qrhis work. ^sI have seen that even this is from God’s hand, ^t25because who can eat and who can enjoy life ^uapart from Him? ^v26For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, ^wbut to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight. ^xThis too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^y

The Mystery of Time

3There is an occasion for everything,

and a time for every activity under heaven: ^z

²a time to give birth and a time to die; ^a

a time to plant and a time to uproot; ^b

³a time to kill and a time to heal;

a time to tear down and a time to build;

⁴a time to weep and a time to laugh; ^c

a time to mourn and a time to dance; ^d

⁵a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; ^e

a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing; ^f

⁶a time to search and a time to count as lost;

a time to keep and a time to throw away;

⁷a time to tear and a time to sew;

a time to be silent and a time to speak; ^g

⁸a time to love and a time to hate;

a time for war and a time for peace. ^h

⁹What does the worker gain from his struggles? ⁱ¹⁰I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied. ^j11He has made everything appropriate ^kin its time. ^lHe has also put eternity in their hearts, ^mbut man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end. ⁿ¹²I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the ^ogood life. ¹³It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts. ^p14I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. ^qGod works so that people will be in awe of Him. ^r15Whatever is, has already been, ^sand whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed. ^t

The Mystery of Injustice and Death

¹⁶I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness. ^u17I said to myself, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, ^vsince there is a time for every activity and every work.” ^w18I said to myself, “This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals.” ^x19For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same. ^yAs one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile. ²⁰All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. ^z21Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? ²²I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities ^abecause that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies? ^bc

4Again, I observed all the acts of oppression being done under the sun. ^dLook at the tears of those who are oppressed; they have no one to comfort them. Power is with those who oppress them; they have no one to comfort them. ²So I admired the dead, ^ewho have already died, more than the living, who are still alive. ³But better than either of them is the one who has not yet existed, ^fwho has not seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

The Loneliness of Wealth

⁴I saw that all labor and all skillful work is due to a man’s jealousy of his friend. ^gThis too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^h

⁵The fool folds his arms ⁱ

and consumes his own flesh. ^j

⁶Better one handful with rest

than two handfuls with effort and a pursuit of the wind. ^k

⁷Again, I saw futility under the sun: ⁸There is a person without a companion, ^lwithout even a son or brother, and though there is no end to all his struggles, his eyes are still not content with riches. ^m“So who am I struggling for,” he asks, “and depriving myself from good?” This too is futile and a miserable task.

⁹Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts. ¹⁰For if either falls, his companion can lift him up; but pity the one who falls without another to lift him up. ¹¹Also, if two lie down together, they can keep warm; but how can one person alone keep warm? ⁿ¹²And if someone overpowers one person, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not easily broken.

¹³Better is a poor but wise youth than an old but foolish king who no longer pays attention to warnings. ^o14For he came from prison to be king, ^peven though he was born poor in his kingdom. ¹⁵I saw all the living, who move about under the sun, follow ^qa second youth who succeeds him. ¹⁶There is no limit to all the people who were before them, yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind. ^r