Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 2"

Ecclesiastes 2

Jubilee Bible 2000 JUB

1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy good things; and, behold, this also <em>is</em> vanity.

2 I said of laughter, <em>It is</em> mad, and of mirth, What does it do?

3 I proposed in my heart to regale my flesh with wine and that my heart would walk in wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, until I might see what <em>was</em> that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

4 I made myself great works; I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards;

5 I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all <em>kind of</em> fruits;

6 I made myself pools of water, to water with them the forest that brings forth trees;

7 I got <em>myself</em> slaves and maidens and had sons born in my house; also I had great possessions of cattle and sheep above all that were in Jerusalem before me;

8 I gathered <em>unto</em> myself also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I obtained men singers and women singers and <em>all</em> the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and those of all sorts.

9 So I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem, and more than that, my wisdom remained with me.

10 And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour, and this was my portion of all my labour.

11 At last I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and, behold, all <em>was</em> vanity and vexation of spirit, and <em>there was</em> no profit under the sun.

12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom and those <em>who are</em> mad, and folly; for what <em>can</em> the man <em>do</em> that comes after the king? <em>even</em> that which has already been done.

13 And I have seen that wisdom excels folly as far as light excels darkness.

14 The wise man <em>has</em> his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness: And I myself also understood that one event happens to the one and to the other.

15 <em>Then</em> I said in my heart, As it shall happen to the fool, so it shall happen even to me. Why have I worked until now to make myself wiser? Then I said in my heart that this also <em>is</em> vanity.

16 For <em>there is</em> no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever, seeing that which now <em>is</em> in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And also the wise <em>man</em> shall die the same as the fool.

17 <em>Therefore</em> I hated life because <em>every</em> work that is wrought under the sun <em>was</em> grievous unto me; for all <em>was</em> vanity and vexation of spirit.

18 <em>Yea</em>, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun, which I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

19 And who knows whether he shall be a wise <em>man</em> or a fool, he who shall have rule over all my labour in which I have laboured and in which I have showed myself wise under the sun? This <em>is</em> also vanity.

20 Therefore my heart began to despair again regarding all the labour which I took under the sun.

21 That the man who worked with wisdom and with knowledge and with uprightness would have to leave his portion to a man that has not laboured therein. This also <em>is</em> vanity and a great evil.

22 For what does man have of all his labour and of the vexation of his heart in which he has laboured under the sun?

23 For all his days <em>are only</em> sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart does not take rest in the night. This is also vanity.

24 <em>There is</em> nothing better for a man <em>than</em> that he should eat and drink and <em>that</em> he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. I also have seen that this <em>is</em> from the hand of God.

25 For who can eat, or who can care for himself better than I?

26 For God gives to the man that <em>is</em> good in <em>his</em> sight wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to the one that is good before <em>God</em>. This also <em>is</em> vanity and vexation of spirit.

New International Version NIV

1 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.

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

3 I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

5 I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.

6 I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.

7 I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, and a harem as well—the delights of a man’s heart.

9 I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.

10 I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil.

11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.

12 Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done?

13 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

14 The wise have eyes in their heads, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.

15 Then I said to myself, “The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?” I said to myself, “This too is meaningless.”

16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be long remembered; the days have already come when both have been forgotten. Like the fool, the wise too must die!

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

18 I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.

19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.

20 So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.

21 For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

22 What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?

23 All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

24 A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,

25 for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?

26 To the person who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.