Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version 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. New Living Translation 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. English Standard Version I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. Berean Study Bible I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile. King James Bible I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. New King James Version I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure”; but surely, this also was vanity. New American Standard Bible I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. NASB 1995 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. NASB 1977 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. Amplified Bible I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure and gratification; so enjoy yourself and have a good time.” But behold, this too was vanity (futility, meaninglessness). Christian Standard Bible I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. Holman Christian Standard Bible I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. American Standard Version I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And I said I to my heart: come, "prove yourself with joy and see good", and, behold , this also is futility Brenton Septuagint Translation I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: and, behold, this is also vanity. Contemporary English Version I said to myself, "Have fun and enjoy yourself!" But this didn't make sense. Douay-Rheims Bible I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity. English Revised Version I SAID in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also was vanity. Good News Translation I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. GOD'S WORD® Translation I thought to myself, "Now I want to experiment with pleasure and enjoy myself." But even this was pointless. International Standard Version I told myself, "I will test you with pleasure, so enjoy yourself." But this was pointless. JPS Tanakh 1917 I said in my heart: 'Come now, I will try thee with mirth, and enjoy pleasure'; and, behold, this also was vanity. Literal Standard Version I said in my heart, “Pray, come, I try you with mirth, and look on gladness”; and behold, even it [is] vanity. NET Bible I thought to myself, "Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile." But I found that it also is futile. New Heart English Bible I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;" and look, this also was vanity. World English Bible I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;" and behold, this also was vanity. Young's Literal Translation I said in my heart, 'Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it is vanity. Additional Translations ... Context The Futility of Pleasure1I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy what is good!” But it proved to be futile. 2I said of laughter, “It is folly,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”… Cross References Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may ache, and joy may end in sorrow. Ecclesiastes 7:4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure. Ecclesiastes 8:15 So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun. Treasury of Scripture I said in my heart, Go to now, I will prove you with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity. said Ecclesiastes 2:15 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. Ecclesiastes 1:16,17 I communed with mine own heart, saying, Lo, I am come to great estate, and have gotten more wisdom than all they that have been before me in Jerusalem: yea, my heart had great experience of wisdom and knowledge… Ecclesiastes 3:17,18 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work… go to Genesis 11:3,4,7 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter… 2 Kings 5:5 And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. Isaiah 5:5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: i will Ecclesiastes 8:15 Then I commended mirth, because a man hath no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry: for that shall abide with him of his labour the days of his life, which God giveth him under the sun. Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment. Isaiah 50:5,11 The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back…
(1) In mine heart.--To mine heart (Luke 12:19; Psalm 42:11). Go to now.--Numbers 22:6; Judges 19:11. Enjoy.--Heb., see. Verses 1-11. - Section 2. Vanity of striving after pleasure and wealth. Verse 1. - Dissatisfied with the result of the pursuit of wisdom, Koheleth embarks on a course of sensual pleasure, if so be this may yield some effect more substantial and permanent. I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth. The heart is addressed as the seat of the emotions and affections. The Vulgate misses the direct address to the heart, which the words, rightly interpreted, imply, translating, Vadam et offluam delieiis. The Septuagint correctly gives, Δεῦρο δὴ πειράσω σε ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ. It is like the rich fool's language in Christ's parable, "I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, be merry" (Luke 12:10). Therefore enjoy pleasure; literally, see good (Ecclesiastes 6:6). "To see" is often used figuratively in the sense of "to experience, or enjoy." Wright compares the expressions, "see death" (Luke 2:26), "see life" (John 3:36). We may find the like in Psalm 34:13; Jeremiah 29:32; Obadiah 1:13 (comp. Ecclesiastes 9:9). The king now tries to find the summum bonum in pleasure, in selfish enjoyment without thought of others. Commentators, as they saw Stoicism in the first chapter, so read Epieureanism into this. We shall have occasion to refer to this idea further on (see on Ecclesiastes 3:22). Of this new experiment the result was the same as before. Behold, this also is vanity. This experience is confirmed in the next verse.Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew Iאֲנִי֙ (’ă·nî) Pronoun - first person common singular Strong's 589: I said אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי (’ā·mar·tî) Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Strong's 559: To utter, say to myself, בְּלִבִּ֔י (bə·lib·bî) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre “Come לְכָה־ (lə·ḵāh-) Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | third person feminine singular Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk now, נָּ֛א (nā) Interjection Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then' I will test אֲנַסְּכָ֛ה (’ă·nas·sə·ḵāh) Verb - Piel - Imperfect Cohortative if contextual - first person common singular | second person masculine singular Strong's 5254: To test, to attempt you with pleasure; בְשִׂמְחָ֖ה (ḇə·śim·ḥāh) Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular Strong's 8057: Blithesomeness, glee enjoy וּרְאֵ֣ה (ū·rə·’êh) Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular Strong's 7200: To see what is good!” בְט֑וֹב (ḇə·ṭō·wḇ) Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 2896: Pleasant, agreeable, good But it ה֖וּא (hū) Pronoun - third person masculine singular Strong's 1931: He, self, the same, this, that, as, are proved וְהִנֵּ֥ה (wə·hin·nêh) Conjunctive waw | Interjection Strong's 2009: Lo! behold! to be futile. הָֽבֶל׃ (hā·ḇel) Noun - masculine singular Strong's 1892: Emptiness, vanity, transitory, unsatisfactory Jump to Previous Enjoy Find Futility Gladness Good Heart Joy Meaningless Mirth Pleasure Prove Proved Purpose Test Thought Try VanityJump to Next Enjoy Find Futility Gladness Good Heart Joy Meaningless Mirth Pleasure Prove Proved Purpose Test Thought Try VanityLinks Ecclesiastes 2:1 NIVEcclesiastes 2:1 NLT Ecclesiastes 2:1 ESV Ecclesiastes 2:1 NASB Ecclesiastes 2:1 KJV Ecclesiastes 2:1 BibleApps.com Ecclesiastes 2:1 Biblia Paralela Ecclesiastes 2:1 Chinese Bible Ecclesiastes 2:1 French Bible Ecclesiastes 2:1 Clyx Quotations OT Poetry: Ecclesiastes 2:1 I said in my heart Come now (Ecclesiast. Ec Ecc Eccles.) |
   
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