'Pleasure' in the Bible

Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?”

Yet, the Lord, the God of Israel, chose me from all the house of my father to be king over Israel forever. For He has chosen Judah to be a leader; and in the house of Judah, my father’s house, and among the sons of my father He took pleasure in me to make me king over all Israel.

“Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;No evil dwells with You.

Surely Your servants find pleasure in her stonesAnd feel pity for her dust.

He does not delight in the strength of the horse;He does not take pleasure in the legs of a man.

For the Lord takes pleasure in His people;He will beautify the afflicted ones with salvation.

He who loves pleasure will become a poor man;He who loves wine and oil will not become rich.

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility.

I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?”

All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor.

There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.

So I commended pleasure, for there is nothing good for a man under the sun except to eat and to drink and to be merry, and this will stand by him in his toils throughout the days of his life which God has given him under the sun.

“What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me?”Says the Lord.“I have had enough of burnt offerings of ramsAnd the fat of fed cattle;And I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats.

Therefore the Lord does not take pleasure in their young men,Nor does He have pity on their orphans or their widows;For every one of them is godless and an evildoer,And every mouth is speaking foolishness.In spite of all this, His anger does not turn awayAnd His hand is still stretched out.

Behold, I am going to stir up the Medes against them,Who will not value silver or take pleasure in gold.

Declaring the end from the beginning,And from ancient times things which have not been done,Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;

“Assemble, all of you, and listen!Who among them has declared these things?The Lord loves him; he will carry out His good pleasure on Babylon,And His arm will be against the Chaldeans.

But the Lord was pleasedTo crush Him, putting Him to grief;If He would render Himself as a guilt offering,He will see His offspring,He will prolong His days,And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

“If because of the sabbath, you turn your footFrom doing your own pleasure on My holy day,And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the Lord honorable,And honor it, desisting from your own ways,From seeking your own pleasureAnd speaking your own word,

therefore, behold, I will gather all your lovers with whom you took pleasure, even all those whom you loved and all those whom you hated. So I will gather them against you from every direction and expose your nakedness to them that they may see all your nakedness.

Do I have any pleasure in the death of the wicked,” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live?

For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’