Ecclesiastes 2
1599 Geneva Bible
2 Pleasures, sumptuous buildings, riches and possessions are but vanity. 14 The wise and the fool have both one end touching the bodily death.
1 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove [a]thee with joy: therefore take thou pleasure in pleasant things: and behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, Thou art mad: and of joy, What is this that thou doest?
3 I sought in mine heart [b]to give myself to wine, and to lead mine heart in [c]wisdom, and to take hold of folly, till I might see where is that goodness of the children of men, which they [d]enjoy under the Sun, the whole number of the days of their life.
4 I have made my great works: I have built me houses: I have planted me vineyards.
5 I have made me gardens and [e]orchards, and planted in them trees of all fruit.
6 I have made me cisterns of water, to water therewith the woods that grow with trees.
7 I have gotten servants and maids, and had children born in the [f]house: also I had great Possession of beeves and sheep above all that were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I have gathered unto me also silver and gold, and the chief treasures of Kings and provinces: I have provided me men singers, and women singers, and the [g]delights of the sons of men, as a woman [h]taken captive, and women taken captives.
9 And I was great, and increased above all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom [i]remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired, I withheld it not from them: I withdrew not mine heart from any joy: for mine heart rejoiced in all my labor: and this was my [j]portion of all my travail.
11 Then I looked on all my works that mine hands had wrought, and on the travail that I had labored to do: and behold, all is vanity and vexation of the spirit: and there is no profit under the Sun.
12 ¶ And I turned to behold [k]wisdom, and madness, and folly: (for who is the man that [l]will come after the King in things, which men now have done?)
13 Then I saw that there is profit in wisdom more than in folly: as the light is more excellent than darkness.
14 (A)For the wise man’s [m]eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness: yet I know also that the same [n]condition falleth to them all.
15 Then I thought in mine heart, It befalleth unto me, as it befalleth to the fool. Why therefore do I then labor to be more wise? And I said in mine heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there shall be no remembrance of the wise, nor of the fool [o]forever: for that that now is, in the days to come, shall all be forgotten. And [p]how dieth the wise man, as doth the fool?
17 Therefore I hated life: for the work that is wrought under the Sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity, and vexation of the spirit.
18 I hated also all my labor, wherein I had travailed under the Sun, which I shall leave to the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he shall be wise or foolish? yet shall he have rule over all my labor, wherein I have travailed, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the Sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to make mine heart [q]abhor all the labor, wherein I had travailed under the Sun.
21 For there is a man whose travail is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity: yet to a man that hath not travailed herein, shall he [r]give his portion: this also is vanity, and a great grief.
22 For what hath man of all his travail and grief of his heart, wherein he hath travailed under the Sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief: his heart also taketh not rest in the night: which also is vanity.
24 There is no profit to man, but that he eat and drink, and [s]delight his soul with the profit of his labor: I saw also this, that it was of the hand of God.
25 For who could eat, and who could haste to [t]outward things more than I?
26 Surely to a man that is good in his sight, God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth pain to gather, and to heap to give to him that is good before God: this also is vanity, and vexation of the spirit.
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 2:1 Solomon maketh this discourse with himself, as though he would try whether there were contentation in ease and pleasures.
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Hebrew, draw my flesh to wine.
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Albeit I gave myself to pleasures, yet I thought to keep wisdom and the fear of God in mine heart, and govern mine affairs by the same.
- Ecclesiastes 2:3 Hebrew, do.
- Ecclesiastes 2:5 Hebrew, paradises.
- Ecclesiastes 2:7 Meaning, of the servants or slaves, which he had bought: so the children born in their servitude, were the masters.
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 That is, whatsoever men take pleasure in.
- Ecclesiastes 2:8 Which were the most beautiful of them that were taken in war, as Judg. 5:30. Some understand by these words, no women, but instruments of music.
- Ecclesiastes 2:9 For all this God did not take his gift of wisdom from me.
- Ecclesiastes 2:10 This was the fruit of all my labor, a certain pleasure mixed with care, which he calleth vanity in the next verse.
- Ecclesiastes 2:12 I bethought with myself whether it were better to follow wisdom, or mine own affections and pleasures, which he calleth madness.
- Ecclesiastes 2:12 Or, compare with the King.
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 He forseeth things, which the fool cannot for lack of wisdom.
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 For both die and are forgotten as verse 16, or they both alike have prosperity or adversity.
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 Meaning, in this world.
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 He wondereth that men forget a wise man, being dead, as soon as they do a fool.
- Ecclesiastes 2:20 That I might seek the true felicity which is in God.
- Ecclesiastes 2:21 Among other griefs that was not the least, to leave that which he had gotten by great travail, to one that had taken no pain therefore, and whom he knew not whether he were a wise man or a fool.
- Ecclesiastes 2:24 When man hath all labored, he can get no more than food and refreshing, yet he confesseth also that this cometh of God’s blessing, as Eccl. 3:13.
- Ecclesiastes 2:25 Meaning, to pleasures.
Ecclesiastes 2
King James Version
2 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.
2 I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?
3 I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.
4 I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:
5 I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:
6 I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:
7 I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:
8 I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.
10 And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
11 Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly: for what can the man do that cometh after the king? even that which hath been already done.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.
15 Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity.
16 For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
17 Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.
18 Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.
19 And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.
20 Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.
24 There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
25 For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?
26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
