Ecclesiastes 2:1–17

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.