Ecclesiastes 2:1

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure 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.

Additional Resources

Referenced Verses

  • Luke 12:19 : 19 And I will say to myself,“You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’
  • Eccl 8:15 : 15 Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.
  • Eccl 11:9 : 9 Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.
  • Isa 5:5 : 5 Now I will inform you what I am about to do to my vineyard: I will remove its hedge and turn it into pasture, I will break its wall and allow animals to graze there.
  • Isa 50:5 : 5 The Sovereign LORD has spoken to me clearly; I have not rebelled, I have not turned back.
  • Isa 50:11 : 11 Look, all of you who start a fire and who equip yourselves with flaming arrows, walk in the light of the fire you started and among the flaming arrows you ignited! This is what you will receive from me: you will lie down in a place of pain.
  • Luke 16:19 : 19 The Rich Man and Lazarus“There was a rich man who dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.
  • Luke 16:23 : 23 And in Hades, as he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far off with Lazarus at his side.
  • Titus 3:3 : 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, misled, enslaved to various passions and desires, spending our lives in evil and envy, hateful and hating one another.
  • Jas 4:13 : 13 Come now, you who say,“Today or tomorrow we will go into this or that town and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.”
  • Jas 5:1 : 1 Warning to the Rich Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you.
  • Jas 5:5 : 5 You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.
  • Rev 18:7-8 : 7 As much as she exalted herself and lived in sensual luxury, to this extent give her torment and grief because she said to herself,‘I rule as queen and am no widow; I will never experience grief!’ 8 For this reason, she will experience her plagues in a single day: disease, mourning, and famine, and she will be burned down with fire, because the Lord God who judges her is powerful!”
  • Gen 11:3-4 : 3 Then they said to one another,“Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.”(They had brick instead of stone and tar instead of mortar.) 4 Then they said,“Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens so that we may make a name for ourselves. Otherwise we will be scattered across the face of the entire earth.”
  • Gen 11:7 : 7 Come, let’s go down and confuse their language so they won’t be able to understand each other.”
  • 2 Kgs 5:5 : 5 The king of Syria said,“Go! I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten suits of clothes.
  • Ps 10:6 : 6 He says to himself,“I will never be shaken, because I experience no calamity.”
  • Ps 14:1 : 1 For the music director; by David. Fools say to themselves,“There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right.
  • Ps 27:8 : 8 My heart tells me to pray to you, and I do pray to you, O LORD.
  • Ps 30:6-7 : 6 In my self-confidence I said,“I will never be shaken.” 7 O LORD, in your good favor you made me secure. Then you rejected me and I was terrified.
  • Eccl 1:16-17 : 16 Futility of Secular Wisdom I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.” 17 So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!
  • Eccl 2:15 : 15 So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”
  • Eccl 3:17-18 : 17 I thought to myself,“God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed. 18 I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.
  • Eccl 7:4 : 4 The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

Similar Verses (AI)

These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.

  • Eccl 2:2-4
    3 verses
    87%

    2I said of partying,“It is folly,” and of self-indulgent pleasure,“It accomplishes nothing!”

    3I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine(all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.

    4Futility of Materialism I increased my possessions: I built houses for myself; I planted vineyards for myself.

  • Eccl 2:15
    83%

    15So I thought to myself,“The fate of the fool will happen even to me! Then what did I gain by becoming so excessively wise?” So I lamented to myself,“The benefits of wisdom are ultimately meaningless!”

  • Eccl 1:16-17
    2 verses
    81%

    16Futility of Secular Wisdom I thought to myself,“I have become much wiser than any of my predecessors who ruled over Jerusalem; I have acquired much wisdom and knowledge.”

    17So I decided to discern the benefit of wisdom and knowledge over foolish behavior and ideas; however, I concluded that even this endeavor is like trying to chase the wind!

  • Eccl 2:8-13
    6 verses
    81%

    8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, as well as valuable treasures taken from kingdoms and provinces. I acquired male singers and female singers for myself, and what gives a man sensual delight– a harem of beautiful concubines!

    9So I was far wealthier than all my predecessors in Jerusalem, yet I maintained my objectivity:

    10I did not restrain myself from getting whatever I wanted; I did not deny myself anything that would bring me pleasure. So all my accomplishments gave me joy; this was my reward for all my effort.

    11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”

    12Wisdom is Better than Folly Next, I decided to consider wisdom, as well as foolish behavior and ideas. For what more can the king’s successor do than what the king has already done?

    13I realized that wisdom is preferable to folly, just as light is preferable to darkness:

  • Eccl 1:1-3
    3 verses
    80%

    1¶ Title The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:

    2Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”

    3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?

  • Eccl 8:14-16
    3 verses
    80%

    14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”

    15Enjoy Life In Spite of Its Injustices So I recommend the enjoyment of life, for there is nothing better on earth for a person to do except to eat, drink, and enjoy life. So joy will accompany him in his toil during the days of his life which God gives him on earth.

    16Limitations of Human Wisdom When I tried to gain wisdom and to observe the activity on earth– even though it prevents anyone from sleeping day or night–

  • Eccl 2:19-26
    8 verses
    79%

    19Who knows if he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will be master over all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so wisely on earth! This also is futile!

    20So I began to despair about all the fruit of my labor for which I worked so hard on earth.

    21For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; however, he must hand over the fruit of his labor as an inheritance to someone else who did not work for it. This also is futile, and an awful injustice!

    22Painful Days and Restless Nights What does a man acquire from all his labor and from the anxiety that accompanies his toil on earth?

    23For all day long his work produces pain and frustration, and even at night his mind cannot relax! This also is futile!

    24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.

    25For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him.

    26For to the one who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, he gives the task of amassing wealth– only to give it to the one who pleases God. This task of the wicked is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Eccl 1:13-14
    2 verses
    79%

    13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.

    14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!

  • Eccl 3:12
    78%

    12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,

  • Eccl 7:25
    77%

    25True Righteousness and Wisdom Are Virtually Nonexistent I tried to understand, examine, and comprehend the role of wisdom in the scheme of things, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the insanity of folly.

  • Eccl 3:22
    77%

    22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?

  • Eccl 2:17
    77%

    17So I loathed life because what happens on earth seems awful to me; for all the benefits of wisdom are futile– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 12:8
    77%

    8Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”

  • Eccl 11:8-10
    3 verses
    76%

    8So, if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, but let him remember that the days of darkness will be many– all that is about to come is obscure.

    9Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.

    10Banish emotional stress from your mind. and put away pain from your body; for youth and the prime of life are fleeting.

  • Eccl 4:7
    76%

    7Labor Motivated by Greed So I again considered another futile thing on earth:

  • Eccl 3:18
    76%

    18I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.

  • Eccl 9:9
    75%

    9Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.

  • Eccl 6:9
    74%

    9It is better to be content with what the eyes can see than for one’s heart always to crave more. This continual longing is futile– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 6:11
    74%

    11The more one argues with words, the less he accomplishes. How does that benefit him?

  • Prov 14:13
    73%

    13Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.

  • Eccl 7:6
    73%

    6For like the crackling of quick-burning thorns under a cooking pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This kind of folly also is useless.

  • Eccl 7:4
    73%

    4The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.

  • Eccl 4:4
    73%

    4Labor Motivated by Envy Then I considered all the skillful work that is done: Surely it is nothing more than competition between one person and another. This also is profitless– like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 8:10
    73%

    10Contradictions to the Law of Retribution Not only that, but I have seen the wicked approaching and entering the temple, and as they left the holy temple, they boasted in the city that they had done so. This also is an enigma.

  • Eccl 4:16
    72%

    16There is no end to all the people nor to the past generations, yet future generations will not rejoice in him. This also is profitless and like chasing the wind.

  • Eccl 5:18
    72%

    18Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.

  • Eccl 3:10
    72%

    10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.

  • Eccl 9:7
    72%

    7Life is Brief, so Cherish its Joys Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works.