New American Standard Bible 1995

Ecclesiastes 2:4-18

4I enlarged my works: I 1built houses for myself, I planted 2vineyards for myself; 5I made 3gardens and 4parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6I made 5ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7I bought male and female slaves and I had 6 7homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and 8herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8Also, I collected for myself silver and 9gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself 10male and female singers and the pleasures of men--many concubines.

9Then I became 11great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 12All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my 13reward for all my labor. 11Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had 14exerted, and behold all was 15 16vanity and striving after wind and there was 17no profit under the sun.

12So I turned to 18consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except 19what has already been done? 13And I saw that 20wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. 14The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the 21fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that 22one fate befalls them both. 15Then I said 23to myself, “24As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. 25Why then have I been extremely wise?” So 26I said to myself, “This too is vanity.” 16For there is 27no 28lasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And 29how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17So I 30hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was 31grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

18Thus I hated 32all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must 33leave it to the man who will come after me.

Read all of Ecclesiastes 2

Notes

1. Ecclesiastes 2:4 1 Kin 7:1-12 ↩
2. Ecclesiastes 2:4 Song 8:11 ↩
3. Ecclesiastes 2:5 Song 4:16; 5:1 ↩
4. Ecclesiastes 2:5 Neh 2:8 ↩
5. Ecclesiastes 2:6 Neh 2:14; 3:15, 16 ↩
6. Ecclesiastes 2:7 Lit sons of the house ↩
7. Ecclesiastes 2:7 Gen 14:14; 15:3 ↩
8. Ecclesiastes 2:7 1 Kin 4:23 ↩
9. Ecclesiastes 2:8 1 Kin 9:28; 10:10, 14, 21 ↩
10. Ecclesiastes 2:8 2 Sam 19:35 ↩
11. Ecclesiastes 2:9 1 Chr 29:25; Eccl 1:16 ↩
12. Ecclesiastes 2:10 Eccl 6:2 ↩
13. Ecclesiastes 2:10 Eccl 3:22; 5:18; 9:9 ↩
14. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Lit labored to do ↩
15. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Or futility, and so throughout the ch ↩
16. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Eccl 1:14; 2:22, 23 ↩
17. Ecclesiastes 2:11 Eccl 1:3; 3:9; 5:16 ↩
18. Ecclesiastes 2:12 Eccl 1:17 ↩
19. Ecclesiastes 2:12 Eccl 1:9, 10; 3:15 ↩
20. Ecclesiastes 2:13 Eccl 7:11, 12, 19; 9:18; 10:10 ↩
21. Ecclesiastes 2:14 1 John 2:11 ↩
22. Ecclesiastes 2:14 Ps 49:10; Eccl 3:19; 6:6; 7:2; 9:2, 3 ↩
23. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit in my heart ↩
24. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Eccl 2:16 ↩
25. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Eccl 6:8, 11 ↩
26. Ecclesiastes 2:15 Lit I spoke in my heart ↩
27. Ecclesiastes 2:16 Eccl 1:11; 9:5 ↩
28. Ecclesiastes 2:16 Lit forever ↩
29. Ecclesiastes 2:16 Eccl 2:14 ↩
30. Ecclesiastes 2:17 Eccl 4:2, 3 ↩
31. Ecclesiastes 2:17 Lit evil ↩
32. Ecclesiastes 2:18 Eccl 1:3; 2:11 ↩
33. Ecclesiastes 2:18 Ps 39:6; 49:10 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 2