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The Book of Ecclesiastes 2

2 I said, I in my heart, “Come, let me test you in joy and examine good.” But look, it also was vapor. 2 To laughter, I said, “It is madness,” and to joy, “What is this doing?” 3 I explored in my heart how to drag my flesh with wine—but my heart was guiding me in wisdom—and how to grasp folly until I could see whether this is good for the sons of humanity that they might do under the heavens during the number of the days of their lives. 4 I enlarged my deeds. I built for myself houses. I planted for myself vineyards. 5 I made for myself gardens and royal parks and I planted in them a tree of each fruit. 6 I made for myself pools of waters to cause to drink from them a forest of growing trees. 7 I acquired male servants and female servants and sons of the house belonged to me. Also much property of cattle and sheep belonged to me, more than all who were to my face in Jerusalem. 8 I also amassed for myself silver and gold and treasure of kings and the provinces. I appointed for myself male singers and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of humanity: breast and breasts. 9 And I was great, and I added more than all who were to my face in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom stood by me. 10 And all that my eyes asked, I did not refuse from them. I did not restrain my heart from any joy, because my heart was joyful from all my toil and this was my portion from all my toil.

11 And I turned, I, to all my works that my hands had done and to the toil that I toiled to do and look, everything was vapor and striving after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

12 And I turned, I, to see wisdom and madness and folly, because what is the person to do who will come after the king? That which is already, they have done it.

13 And I saw, I, that there is a profit for wisdom more than folly, as there is a profit of the light over the darkness. 14 The wise, his eyes are in his head, but the fool in the darkness is walking, and I know, even I, that one happening will happen to both of them.

15 And I said, I in my heart, “As the happening of the fool, also to me, it will happen to me. And why was I myself wise back then, abundantly?” And I said in my heart that also this is vapor. 16 For there is no remembrance of the wise person with the fool in perpetuity, because already in the days that have come both are forgotten—and how will the wise die with the fool?

17 And I hated life because of the misfortune around me—the work that was done under the sun—because everything was vapor and striving after wind. 18 And I hated, I, all my toil that I had toiled under the sun that I will leave it to the person who will be after me. 19 And who knows: will he be wise or a fool? And he will have authority over all my toil that I have toiled and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. Also this is vapor.

20 And I turned, I, to cause my heart to despair concerning all the toil which I toiled under the sun. 21 For there is a person whose toil is in wisdom and in knowledge and in skill, but to a person who has not toiled in it, he will give it as his portion. This also is vapor and a great misfortune. 22 For what endures for the person in exchange for all his toil and in the striving of his heart in which he is a toiler under the sun? 23 Because all his days are pains, and anger is his business, even in the night, his heart does not rest. Also this—it is vapor.

24 There is no good for humanity except that he will eat and drink and cause his spirit to see good in his toil. Also this I saw, I, that it is from the hand of the God. 25 For who will eat and who will enjoy apart from him? 26 For to a person who is good to his face, he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy. But to the sinner he gives the business to gather and to collect to give to the one who is good to the face of God. This also is vapor and striving after wind.

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