1I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; so enjoy the good!” But behold, this too was vapor.
2Of laughter I said, “Mad!” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?”
3I explored in my heart how to cheer my body with wine — my heart still guiding with wisdom — and to lay hold of folly, until I might see what was good for the sons of man to do under the heavens the number of the days of their lives.
4I made my works great: I built houses for myself, I planted vineyards for myself.
5I made for myself gardens and parks, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
6I made for myself pools of water, to irrigate from them a forest sprouting trees.
7I acquired male and female slaves, and I had home-born servants; I also had great herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8I gathered for myself also silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and provinces; I acquired for myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of man — a concubine and concubines.
9So I grew great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom stood by me.
10And whatever my eyes asked I did not withhold from them; I did not keep my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my toil, and this was my portion from all my toil.
11Then I turned to consider all my works that my hands had done, and the toil I had toiled to do; and behold, it was all vapor and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12Then I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
13And I saw that there is profit for wisdom over folly, like the profit of light over darkness.
14The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; yet I also knew that one fate happens to them all.
15So I said in my heart, “As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me; then why have I been so exceedingly wise?” And I spoke in my heart that this too is vapor.
16For there is no lasting remembrance of the wise along with the fool forever, since in the days to come all will already have been forgotten. And how the wise man dies along with the fool!
17So I hated life, for the work done under the sun was grievous to me; for it is all vapor and a chasing after wind.
18And I hated all my toil at which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
19And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will have mastery over all my toil at which I toiled and in which I acted wisely under the sun. This too is vapor.
20So I turned about to make my heart despair over all the toil at which I had toiled under the sun.
21For there is a man whose toil is with wisdom and knowledge and skill, yet to a man who has not toiled for it he must give it as his portion. This too is vapor and a great evil.
22For what does a man get in all his toil and in the striving of his heart at which he toils under the sun?
23For all his days are pains, and his occupation is vexation; even at night his heart does not rest. This too is vapor.
24There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and let himself see good in his toil. This too I saw: that it is from the hand of God.
25For who can eat or who can enjoy apart from Him?
26For to the man who is good before Him He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and heaping up, only to give it to the one who is good before God. This too is vapor and a chasing after wind.
Open in the interactive reader →