Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure — but it was to no purpose.
I said I in heart my come! please let me put to [the] test you with pleasure and look on good and there! also it [was] futility.
2 Of laughing I said, It is foolish; and of joy — What use is it?
Of laughter I said [it is] folly and of pleasure what? this [is it] doing.
3 I made a search with my heart to give pleasure to my flesh with wine, still guiding my heart with wisdom, and to go after foolish things, so that I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their life.
I searched in heart my to gratify with wine flesh my and heart my [was] guiding with wisdom and to take hold on folly until that I saw where? this [is] good for [the] children of humankind which they will do under the heavens [the] number of [the] days of lives their.
4 I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens.
I made great works my I built for myself houses I planted for myself vineyards.
5 I made myself gardens and fruit gardens, planting in them fruit-trees of all sorts.
I made for myself gardens and parks and I planted in them tree[s] of every fruit.
6 I made pools to give water for the woods with their young trees.
I made for myself pools of water to water from them a forest sprouting of trees.
7 I got men-servants and women-servants, and they gave birth to sons and daughters in my house. I had great wealth of herds and flocks, more than all who were in Jerusalem before me.
I acquired [male] slaves and female slaves and sons of house he belonged to me also livestock herd[s] and flock[s] [surely] a multitude belonged to me more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.
8 I got together silver and gold and the wealth of kings and of countries. I got makers of song, male and female; and the delights of the sons of men — girls of all sorts to be my brides.
I gathered for myself also silver and gold and treasure of kings and provinces I acquired for myself male singers and female singers and [the] delights of [the] children of humankind breast and breasts.
9 And I became great; increasing more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom was still with me.
And I became great and I increased more than any who was before me in Jerusalem also wisdom my it remained to me.
10 And nothing which was desired by my eyes did I keep from them; I did not keep any joy from my heart, because my heart took pleasure in all my work, and this was my reward.
And all that they asked eyes my not I withheld from them not I restrained heart my from any pleasure for heart my [was] joyful from all toil my and this it was reward my from all toil my.
11 Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
And I turned I on all works my that had done hands my and on the toil that I had toiled to do and there! everything [was] futility and striving of wind and there not [was] profit under the sun.
12 And I went again in search of wisdom and of foolish ways. What may the man do who comes after the king? The thing which he has done before.
And I turned I to consider wisdom and madness and folly for - what? [is] the person who will come after the king [that] which already people have done it.
13 Then I saw that wisdom is better than foolish ways — as the light is better than the dark.
And I saw I that there [is] advantage of wisdom more than folly like [the] advantage of light more than darkness.
14 The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the foolish man goes walking in the dark; but still I saw that the same event comes to them all.
The wise [person] eyes his [are] in head his and the fool in darkness [is] walking and I knew also I that fate one it will happen to all of them.
15 Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.
And I said I in heart my like [the] fate of the fool also me it will happen to me and why? have I become wise I then excessively and I said in heart my that also this [is] futility.
16 Of the wise man, as of the foolish man, there is no memory for ever, seeing that those who now are will have gone from memory in the days to come. See how death comes to the wise as to the foolish!
For there not [is] remembrance of the wise man with the fool for a long time in that already the days coming everything it has been forgotten and how! he will die the wise [person] with the fool.
17 So I was hating life, because everything under the sun was evil to me: all is to no purpose and desire for wind.
And I hated life for [was] evil on me the work that was done under the sun for everything [is] futility and striving of wind.
18 Hate had I for all my work which I had done, because the man who comes after me will have its fruits.
And I hated I all toil my that I [was] a laborer under the sun that I will leave it to the person who will be after me.
19 And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.
And who? [is] knowing ¿ a wise [person] will he be or? a fool so he may have power over all toil my that I have toiled and that I worked skillfully under the sun also this [is] futility.
20 So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.
And I turned I to make despair heart my on all the toil that I have toiled under the sun.
21 Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.
If there [was] a person who toil his [was] with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill and to a person who not he toiled in it he will give it portion his also this [is] futility and an evil great.
22 What does a man get for all his work, and for the weight of care with which he has done his work under the sun?
For what? [is] becoming to the person in all toil his and in [the] striving of heart his that he [was] a laborer under the sun.
23 All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.
For all days his [are] pains and [is] vexation task his also in the night not it rests heart his also this [is] futility it.
24 There is nothing better for a man than taking meat and drink, and having delight in his work. This again I saw was from the hand of God.
There not [is] good for person that he will eat and he will drink and he will show self his good in toil his also this I have seen I that [is] from [the] hand of God it.
25 Who may take food or have pleasure without him?
For who? will he eat and who? will he enjoy outside from me.
26 To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.
For to anyone who [is] good before him he gives wisdom and knowledge and joy and to the sinner he gives a task to gather and to collect to give [it] to a [person] good before God also this [is] futility and striving of wind.
