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Ecclesiastes 2 Legacy Standard Bible
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Ecclesiastes 2 Legacy Standard Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ecclesiastes/2.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ecclesiastes/2-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">LSB</a> > Ecclesiastes 2</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="../menu.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ecclesiastes/1.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 1">◄</a> Ecclesiastes 2 <a href="../ecclesiastes/3.htm" title="Ecclesiastes 3">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">Legacy Standard Bible</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/nasb_/ecclesiastes/2.htm" style="color:#0092f2" title="NASB">►► </a></td></tr></table></div><p class="hdg">The Vanity of Pleasure and Possessions</p><p><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with gladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>I explored with my heart <i>how</i> to <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>stimulate my <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>body with wine—while my heart was guiding <i>me</i> wisely—and how to seize simpleminded folly, until I could see where is this good for the sons of men <i>in</i> what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>I made my works great: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself; <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>I made for myself pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>I bought male and female slaves, and I had <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>Also, I collected for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines. <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>Then I became great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>All that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my reward for all my labor. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>vanity and striving after wind, and there was no advantage under the sun. <p class="hdg">Wisdom Excels Folly</p><p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So I turned to see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What <i>will</i> the man <i>do</i> who will come after the king <i>except</i> what has already been done? <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>And I saw that there is an advantage in wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the fate of one becomes the fate of all of them. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Then I said in my heart, “As is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>For there is no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as <i>in</i> the coming days all will be forgotten. And how the wise man dies with the fool! <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind. <p class="hdg">The Vanity of Labor</p><p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Thus I hated all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must leave it to the man who will come after me. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a <i>man of</i> simpleminded folly? Yet he will have <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is vanity. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, then he gives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>For what does a man get in all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>Because all his days his endeavor is painful and vexing; even at night his heart does not lie down. This too is vanity. <p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span><span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>There is nothing better for a man <i>than</i> to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is from the hand of God. <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of <span class="fn"><a href="#fn">[†]</a></span>Him? <span class="reftext"><a href="/ecclesiastes/2-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>For to a man who is good before Him, He has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good before God. This too is vanity and striving after wind.<A name="fn"></a></p><br /><br /><span class="fnverse">3</span> Lit <i>drag</i><br><span class="fnverse">3</span> Lit <i>flesh</i><br><span class="fnverse">7</span> Lit <i>sons of the house</i><br><span class="fnverse">11</span> Or <i>futility</i>, so in ch<br><span class="fnverse">17</span> Lit <i>evil</i><br><span class="fnverse">19</span> Lit <i>dominion</i><br><span class="fnverse">24</span> Lit <i>There is nothing good in man, who should eat</i><br><span class="fnverse">25</span> As in Gr; Heb <i>me</i><br></div><br /><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Legacy Standard Bible Copyright ©2021 by The Lockman Foundation<br>All rights reserved. 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