Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 2"

Ecclesiastes 2

Septuagint Bible w/ Apocrypha LXX

1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: and, behold, this is also vanity.

2 I said to laughter, Madness: and to mirth, Why doest thou this:

3 And I examined whether my heart would excite my flesh as wine, (though my heart guided in wisdom,) and to lay hold of mirth, until I should see of what kind is the good to the sons of men, which they should do under the sun all the days of their life.

4 I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.

5 I made me gardens and orchards, and planted in them every kind of fruit-tree.

6 I made me pools of water, to water from them the timber-bearing wood.

7 I got servants and maidens, and servants were born to me in the house: also I had abundant possession of flocks and herds, beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem.

8 Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold also, and the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces: I procured me singing men and singing women, and delights of the sons of men, a butler and female cupbearers.

9 So I became great, and advanced beyond all that were before in Jerusalem: also my wisdom was established to me.

10 And whatever mine eyes desired, I withheld not from them, I withheld not my heart from all my mirth: for my heart rejoiced in all my labour; and this was my portion of all my labour.

11 And I looked on all my works which my hands had wrought, and on my labour which I laboured to perform: and behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun.

12 Then I looked on to see wisdom, and madness, and folly: for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things where in he employs it?

13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly, as much as light excels darkness.

14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness: and I perceived, even I, that one event shall happen to them all.

15 And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me: and to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.

16 For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool for ever; forasmuch as now the coming days all things are forgotten: and how shall the wise man die with the fool?

17 So I hated life; because the work that was wrought under the sun was evil before me: for all is vanity and waywardness of spirit.

18 And I hated the whole of my labour which I took under the sun; because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

19 And who knows whether he will be a wise or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labour in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.

20 so I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labour wherein I had laboured under the sun.

21 For there is a man that his labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; this man shall give his portion to one who has not laboured therein. This is also vanity and great evil.

22 For it happens to a man in all his labour, and in the purpose of his heart wherein he labours under the sun.

23 For all his days of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his; in the night also his heart rests not. This is also vanity.

24 A man has nothing good to eat, and to drink, and to shew his soul good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

25 For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him?

26 For has given to the man who is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but he has given to the sinner trouble, to add and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God; for this is also vanity and waywardness 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.