Ecclesiastes 2
1 Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
I said in my heart, “Pray, come, I try you with mirth, and look on gladness”; and behold, even it [is] vanity.
2 Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
Of laughter I said, “Foolish!” And of mirth, “What [is] this it is doing?”
3 I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.
I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly until I see where this [is]—the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.
4 I enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
I made great my works, I built for myself houses, I planted for myself vineyards.
5 I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
I made for myself gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
6 I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:
I made for myself pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.
7 I acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been before me in Jerusalem;
I acquired menservants, and maidservants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance—herd and flock—above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.
8 I heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
I also gathered for myself silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for myself men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man—a wife and wives.
9 So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained with me;
And I became great, and increased above everyone who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood with me.
10 and, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
And all that my eyes asked I did not keep back from them; I did not withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this has been my portion, from all my labor,
11 When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labor that I have labored to do, and behold, the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!
12 Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who comes after the king? That which [is] already—they have done it!
13 Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth darkness.
And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the darkness.
14 As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
The wise—his eyes [are] in his head, and the fool is walking in darkness, and I also knew that one event happens with them all;
15 Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
and I said in my heart, “As it happens with the fool, it happens also with me, and why am I then more wise?” And I spoke in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:
16 For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
That there is no remembrance to the wise—with the fool—for all time, for that which [is] already, [in] the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dies the wise? With the fool!
17 Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
And I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that has been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
18 Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;
And I have hated all my labor that I labor at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.
19 and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
And who knows whether he is wise or foolish? Yet he rules over all my labor that I have labored at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! This [is] also vanity.
20 Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.
And I turned around to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor that I labored at under the sun.
21 For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
For there is a man whose labor [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who has not labored therein he gives it—his portion! Even this [is] vanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
For what has been to a man by all his labor, and by the thought of his heart that he labored at under the sun?
23 For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart has not lain down; this [is] also vanity.
24 There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
There is nothing good in a man who eats, and has drunk, and has shown his soul good in his labor. This also I have seen that it [is] from the hand of God.
25 For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
For who eats and who hurries out more than I?
26 For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
For to a man who [is] good before Him, He has given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He has given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this [is] vanity and distress of spirit.
