Bible Verses About Pleasure

"Wickedness may taste sweet in his mouth, he may savor and roll it around on his tongue,

he may linger over it and not let it go but keep it there in his mouth -

yet in his stomach his food goes bad, it works inside him like snake venom;

the wealth he swallows he vomits back up; God makes him disgorge it.

He sucks the poison of asps, the viper's fangs will kill him.

They sing with tambourines and lyres and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.

They spend their days in prosperity and go down to the grave in peace.

"Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is pleasant."

Folly appeals to one who lacks sense, but a person of discernment goes straight ahead.

Pleasure-lovers will suffer want; he who loves wine and oil won't get rich.

yet when I applied myself to understanding wisdom and knowledge, as well as stupidity and folly, I came to see that this too was merely feeding on wind.

I said to myself, "Come now, I will test myself with pleasure and enjoying good things"; but this too was pointless.

Of laughter I said, "This is stupid," and of pleasure, "What's the use of it?"

I searched my mind for how to gratify my body with wine and, with my mind still guiding me with wisdom, how to pursue foolishness; my object was to find out what was the best thing for people to do during the short time they have under heaven to live.

I worked on a grand scale - I built myself palaces, planted myself vineyards,

and made myself gardens and parks; in them I planted all kinds of fruit trees.

I made myself pools from which to water the trees springing up in the forest.

I bought male and female slaves, and I had my home-born slaves as well. I also had growing herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than anyone before me in Yerushalayim.

I amassed silver and gold, the wealth of kings and provinces. I acquired male and female singers, things that provide sensual delight, and a good many concubines.

So I grew great, surpassing all who preceded me in Yerushalayim; my wisdom, too, stayed with me.

I denied my eyes nothing they wanted. I withheld no pleasure from myself; for I took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward for all my work.

Then I looked at all that my hands had accomplished and at the work I had toiled at; and I saw that it was all meaningless and feeding on wind, and that there was nothing to be gained under the sun.

So I decided to look more carefully at wisdom, stupidity and foolishness; for what can the man who succeeds the king do, except what has already been done?

I saw that wisdom is more useful than foolishness, just as light is more useful than darkness.

Woe to those who get up early to pursue intoxicating liquor; who stay up late at night, until wine inflames them.