Ecclesiastes 2 - King James Version (KJV)

2 I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

²I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

³I 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.

⁴I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

⁵I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

⁶I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

⁷I 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:

⁸I 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.

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

¹⁰And 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.

¹¹Then 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.

¹²And 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.

¹³Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

¹⁴The 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.

¹⁵Then 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.

¹⁶For 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.

¹⁷Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁸Yea, 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.

¹⁹And 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.

²⁰Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

²¹For 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.

²²For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

²³For all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

²⁴There 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.

²⁵For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I?

²⁶For 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.

Ecclesiastes 2 - Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

2 I said in my heart, `Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it [is] vanity. 2 Of laughter I said, `Foolish!' and of mirth, `What [is] this it is doing?' 3 I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - Wycliffe Bible (WYC)

2 Therefore I said in mine heart, I shall go, and I shall flow in delights, and I shall use goods; and I saw also that this was vanity. (And so I said in my heart, I shall go, and I shall enjoy all delights, and I shall enjoy all good things; and I saw that this was also empty and futile.) 2 And lau...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - World English Bible (WEB)

2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;” and behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - The Voice (VOICE)

2 Teacher: I said to myself, “Let me dabble and test you in pleasure and see if there is any good in that.” But look, that, too, was fleeting. 2 Of laughter I said, “Foolishness.” Of pleasure, “And in the end what is accomplished?” 3 So I thought about drinking wine, for it soothes the flesh. But ...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - Tree of Life Version (TLV)

Futility of Human Pleasures2 I said within myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure to see what is good.” Yet behold, this too was meaningless. 2 I said of laughter, “It is madness!” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I thought deeply about how to cheer my flesh with wine—lettin...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE)

The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me w...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - Revised Standard Version (RSV)

Ecclesiastes 2 - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)

The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me wi...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition (NRSVACE)

The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, ‘Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.’ But again, this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter, ‘It is mad’, and of pleasure, ‘What use is it?’ 3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me wi...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised (NRSVA)

Ecclesiastes 2 - New Revised Standard Version (NRSV)

The Futility of Self-Indulgence2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will make a test of pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But again, this also was vanity.(A)2 I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”(B)3 I searched with my mind how to cheer my body with wine—my mind still guiding me ...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New Living Translation (NLT)

The Futility of Pleasure2 I said to myself, “Come on, let’s try pleasure. Let’s look for the ‘good things’ in life.” But I found that this, too, was meaningless. 2 So I said, “Laughter is silly. What good does it do to seek pleasure?” 3 After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And wh...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New Life Version (NLV)

Fun Is of No Worth2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with things that are fun. So have a good time.” But see, this also was for nothing. 2 I said of laughing, “It is crazy,” and of fun, “What use is it?” 3 I tried to find in my mind how to make my body happy with wine, yet at the same ...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New King James Version (NKJV)

The Vanity of Pleasure(A)2 I said (B)in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with (C)mirth; [a]therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, (D)this also was vanity. 2 I said of laughter—“Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3 (E)I searched in my heart how [b]to gratify my flesh with wine,...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New International Version - UK (NIVUK)

Pleasures are meaningless2 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 g...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New International Version (NIV)

Pleasures Are Meaningless2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter,”(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” 3 I tried cheering myself with wine,(C) and embracing folly(D)—my mind...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New International Reader's Version (NIRV)

Pleasure Is Meaningless2 I said to myself, “Come on. I’ll try out pleasure. I want to find out if it is good.” But it also proved to be meaningless. 2 “Laughter doesn’t make any sense,” I said. “And what can pleasure do for me?” 3 I tried cheering myself up by drinking wine. I even tried living in...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - New Century Version (NCV)

Does “Having Fun” Bring Happiness?2 I said to myself, “I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself.” But I found that this is also useless. 2 It is foolish to laugh all the time, and having fun doesn’t accomplish anything. 3 I decided to cheer myself up with wine while my mind was still thinking wi...
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Ecclesiastes 2 - King James Version (KJV)

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