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Ecclesiastes · Updated Brenton English Septuagint

Ecclesiastes 2 Updated Brenton English Septuagint

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About LXXUP
  • Individual translator
  • OT: Septuagint (Greek)
  • Septuagint Old Testament (no New Testament)
  • Formal (word for word)
  • 2020
  • Public domain

Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings

Notes on this text (1)
LXXUP Updated Brenton English Septuagint
WEB World English Bible (Classic, with Deuterocanon)
1 I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: And, behold, this is also vanity.
1 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 to laughter, Madness: And to mirth, Why doest thou this?
2 I said of laughter, “It is foolishness;” and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
3 And I examined whether my heart Would excite my flesh as [with] wine (Though my heart guided [me] in wisdom), And [I desired] 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.
3 I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.
4 I enlarged my work; I built me houses; I planted me vineyards.
4 I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.
5 I made me gardens and orchards, And planted in them every kind of fruit tree.
5 I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.
6 I made me pools of water, To water from them the timber-bearing wood.
6 I made myself pools of water, to water the forest where trees were grown.
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.
7 I bought male servants and female servants, and had servants born in my house. I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, above 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.
8 I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men: musical instruments of all sorts.
9 So I became great, And advanced beyond all That were before me in Jerusalem: Also my wisdom was established to me.
9 So I was great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with 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 labor; And this was my portion Of all my labor.
10 Whatever my eyes desired, I didn’t keep from them. I didn’t withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.
11 And I looked on all my works Which my hands had wrought, And on my labor which I labored to perform: And, behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, And there is no advantage under the sun.
11 Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and behold, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit 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 wherein he employs it?
12 I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly; for what can the king’s successor do? Just that which has been done long ago.
13 And I saw that wisdom excels folly, As much as light excels darkness.
13 Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far 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.
14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens 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.
15 Then I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so will it happen 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 man With the fool forever; Forasmuch as now [in] the coming days All things are forgotten: And how shall the wise man die with the fool?
16 For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory forever, since in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like 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.
17 So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
18 And I hated the whole of my labor Which I took under the sun; Because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
18 I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
19 And who knows whether he will be a wise [man] or a fool? And whether he will have power over all my labor In which I labored, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? This is also vanity.
19 Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 So I went about to dismiss from my heart All my labor wherein I had labored under the sun.
20 Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.
21 For there is [such] a man that his labor Is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; Yet [this] man shall give his portion To one who has not labored therein. This is also vanity and great evil.
21 For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 For it happens to a man in all his labor, And in the purpose of his heart Wherein he labors under the sun.
22 For what does a man have of all his labor and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?
23 For all his days [Are days] of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his; In the night also his heart rests not. This is also vanity.
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24 A man has nothing [really] good To eat, and to drink, and to show his soul [As] good in his trouble. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
24 There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
25 For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him?
25 For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?
26 For [God] 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.
26 For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
Cross references (26)

Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.

  1. 1 Luke 12:19; Ecclesiastes 8:15; James 5:1; James 5:5; Psalm 27:8
  2. 2 Proverbs 14:13; Ecclesiastes 7:2–6; 1 Peter 4:2–4; Amos 6:3–6; Isaiah 22:12–13
  3. 3 Proverbs 20:1; Ecclesiastes 1:17; Proverbs 31:4–5; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 12:13
  4. 4 1 Kings 7:1–12; 2 Chronicles 8:11; 2 Chronicles 8:1–6; Psalm 49:11; 1 Kings 9:1
  5. 5 Song of Songs 6:2; Luke 17:27–29; Song of Songs 4:12–5:1; Genesis 2:8–9; Jeremiah 39:4
  6. 6 Nehemiah 2:14; Song of Songs 7:4; Psalm 1:3; Jeremiah 17:8
  7. 7 2 Chronicles 32:27–29; Genesis 13:2; 2 Kings 3:4; 1 Kings 9:20–22; 2 Chronicles 26:10
  8. 8 1 Kings 10:10; 1 Kings 9:28; 2 Samuel 19:35; 1 Kings 10:14; 1 Chronicles 25:6
  9. 9 1 Chronicles 29:25; Ecclesiastes 1:16; 1 Kings 10:23; 2 Chronicles 9:22–23; 1 Kings 3:12
  10. 10 Ecclesiastes 9:9; Ecclesiastes 5:18; Ecclesiastes 3:22; Psalm 119:37; Psalm 128:2
  11. 11 Ecclesiastes 1:14; 1 John 2:16–17; Ecclesiastes 1:3; Genesis 1:31; Exodus 39:43
  12. 12 Ecclesiastes 1:17; Ecclesiastes 7:25; Ecclesiastes 1:9–10
  13. 13 Ephesians 5:8; Ecclesiastes 7:11–12; Matthew 6:23; Ecclesiastes 11:7; Malachi 3:18–4:2
  14. 14 Psalm 49:10; Proverbs 17:24; Ecclesiastes 9:11; Ecclesiastes 9:1–3; 1 John 2:11
  15. 15 Ecclesiastes 6:8; Ecclesiastes 1:14; Ecclesiastes 1:18–2:1; 1 Kings 3:12; Ecclesiastes 1:16
  16. 16 Ecclesiastes 1:11; Ecclesiastes 9:5; Malachi 3:16; Exodus 1:8; Psalm 88:12
  17. 17 Ecclesiastes 2:11; Ecclesiastes 4:2; Jonah 4:8; 1 Kings 19:4; Numbers 11:15
  18. 18 Psalm 39:6; Psalm 49:10; Luke 16:27–28; Luke 12:20; Ecclesiastes 5:18
  19. 19 Ecclesiastes 3:22; James 3:17; 1 Kings 14:25–28; Ecclesiastes 9:13; James 1:17
  20. 20 1 Thessalonians 3:3–4; Job 17:11–15; Psalm 39:6–7; Genesis 43:14; 2 Corinthians 1:8–10
  21. 21 Ecclesiastes 2:17–18; Ecclesiastes 9:18; Jeremiah 22:15; 2 Chronicles 31:20–21; 2 Chronicles 35:18
  22. 22 Psalm 127:2; Ecclesiastes 1:3; Ecclesiastes 3:9; Ecclesiastes 4:6; Philippians 4:6
  23. 23 Job 14:1; Job 5:7; Job 7:13–14; Psalm 127:2; Psalm 6:6–7
  24. 24 Ecclesiastes 3:22; 1 Timothy 6:17; Ecclesiastes 8:15; Ecclesiastes 3:12–13; Ecclesiastes 5:18–19
  25. 25 Ecclesiastes 2:1–12
  26. 26 Proverbs 13:22; Job 27:16–17; Proverbs 28:8; John 16:24; Isaiah 3:10–11

Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences

What the Fathers said

Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).

How these were chosen

“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).

  1. Quotes verse 2:13 Augustine of Hippo, The City of God (Book XX, Chapters 3–5)

    … is nothing substantial, nothing lasting, he bewails, among the other vanities that are under the sun, this also, that though wisdom excelleth folly as light excelleth darkness, and though the eyes of the wise man are in his head, while the fool walketh in darkness, yet one event happeneth to them all, that is to say, in this life under …

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)

  2. Quotes verse 2:13 John Chrysostom, Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew (Homily LXXXIII)

    Listen to Solomon, saying, "As far as light excelleth darkness, so doth wisdom excel folly." But how shall we instruct him that is in darkness?

    Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)