Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said in my heart: I will go, and abound with delights, and enjoy good things. And I saw that this also was vanity.
Said, I, in my heart, Come now! I will prove thee with gladness, and look thou on blessedness, —but lo! even that, was vanity.
2 Laughter I counted error: and to mirth I said: Why art thou vainly deceived?
Of laughter, I said, Madness! and, of mirth, What can it do?
3 I thought in my heart, to withdraw my flesh from wine, that I might turn my mind to wisdom, and might avoid folly, till I might see what was profitable for the children of men: and what they ought to do under the sun, all the days of their life.
I sought out with my heart, to cherish with wine, my flesh, —but, my heart, was to guide with wisdom, even in laying hold of folly, until I should see which was blessedness for the sons of men, as to that which they could do, under the heavens, during the number of the days of their life.
4 I made me great works, I built me houses, and planted vineyards,
I enlarged my works, —I built me houses, I planted me vineyards;
5 I made gardens, and orchards, and set them with trees of all kinds,
I made me gardens, and parks, —I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit;
6 And I made me ponds of water, to water therewith the wood of the young trees,
I made me pools of water, —to irrigate therefrom the thick-set saplings growing up into trees:
7 I got me menservants, and maidservants, and had a great family: and herds of oxen, and great flocks of sheep, above all that were before me in Jerusalem:
I acquired, men-servants and women-servants, and, the children of the household, were mine, —also possessions, herds and flocks in abundance, were mine, beyond all who had been before me in Jerusalem;
8 I heaped together for myself silver and gold, and the wealth of kings, and provinces: I made me singing men, and singing women, and the delights of the sons of men, cups and vessels to serve to pour out wine:
I heaped me up, both silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings, and provinces, —I provided me singing-men and singing-women, and the delights of the sons of men, a wife and wives.
9 And I surpassed in riches all that were before me in Jerusalem: my wisdom also remained with me.
So I became great, and increased, more than any one who had been before me in Jerusalem, —moreover, my wisdom, remained with me;
10 And whatsoever my eyes desired, I refused them not: and I withheld not my heart from enjoying every pleasure, and delighting itself in the things which I had prepared: and esteemed this my portion, to make use of my own labour.
and, nothing that mine eyes asked, withheld I from them, —I did not keep back my heart from any gladness, for, my heart, obtained gladness out of all my toil, and so, this, was my portion, out of all my toil.
11 And when I turned myself to all the works which my hands had wrought, and to the labours wherein I had laboured in vain, I saw in all things vanity, and vexation of mind, and that nothing was lasting under the sun.
When, I, looked upon all my works, which my hands had made, and on my toil, whereon I had toilsomely wrought, then lo! all, was vanity, and feeding on wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 I passed further to behold wisdom, and errors and folly, (What is man, said I, that he can follow the King his maker?)
Thus turned, I, to look at wisdom, and madness and folly, —for what can the man [do more] who cometh after the king? [save] that which, already, men have done.
13 And I saw that wisdom excelled folly, as much as light differeth from darkness.
Then saw, I, that wisdom doth excel folly, —as far as light excelleth darkness.
14 The eyes of a wise man are in his head: the fool walketh in darkness: and I learned that they were to die both alike.
As for the wise man, his eyes, are in his head, whereas, the dullard, in darkness, doth walk, —but, I myself, knew that, one destiny, happeneth to them, all.
15 And I said in my heart: If the death of the fool and mine shall be one, what doth it avail me, that I have applied myself more to the study of wisdom? And speaking with my own mind, I perceived that this also was vanity.
Then said, I, in my heart, As it happeneth to the dullard, even to me, will it happen, but wherefore, then, became, I, wise to excess? Therefore spake I, in my heart, Even this, is vanity.
16 For there shall be no remembrance of the wise no more than of the fool for ever, and the times to come shall cover all things together with oblivion: the learned dieth in like manner as the unlearned.
For there is no remembrance of a wise man, more than of a dullard, unto times age-abiding, —seeing that, already, in the days to come, all hath been forgotten, how then cometh it that the wise man dieth equally with the dullard?
17 And therefore I was weary of my life, when I saw that all things under the sun are evil, and all vanity and vexation of spirit.
Therefore I hated life, for, a vexation unto me, was the work which was done under the sun, —for, all, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
18 Again I hated all my application wherewith I had earnestly laboured under the sun, being like to have an heir after me,
Therefore hated, I, all my toil, wherein I was toiling, under the sun, —in that I should leave it for the man who should come after me;
19 Whom I know not whether he will be a wise man or a fool, and he shall have rule over all my labours with which I have laboured and been solicitous: and is there any thing so vain?
and who could know whether a, wise man, he would be or a foolish, and yet he would lord it over all my toil, wherein I had toiled and wherein I had acted wisely, under the sun, —even this, was vanity.
20 Wherefore I left off and my heart renounced labouring any more under the sun.
Then resolved I, to give my heart over to despair, —concerning all the toil, wherein I had toiled, under the sun.
21 For when a man laboureth in wisdom, and knowledge, and carefulness, he leaveth what he hath gotten to an idle man: so this also is vanity, and a great evil.
For here is a man, whose toil hath been with wisdom and with knowledge and with skill, —yet, to a man who hath not toiled therein, shall he leave it as his portion, even this, was vanity and a great vexation.
22 For what profit shall a man have of all his labour, and vexation of spirit, with which he bath been tormented under the sun?
For what hath the man for all his toil, and for the striving of his heart, —wherein, he himself, toiled under the sun?
23 All his days axe full of sorrows and miseries, even in the night he doth not rest in mind: and is not this vanity?
For, all his days, are pains, and, vexatious, is his employment, even in the night, his heart lieth not down, —even this, was, vanity.
24 Is it not better to eat and drink, and to shew his soul good things of his labours? and this is from the hand of God.
There was nothing more blessed for Man [than] that he should eat and drink, and see his desireth for blessedness in his toil, —even this, saw, I myself, that, from the hand of God, it was.
25 Who shall so feast and abound with delights as I?
For who could eat and who could enjoy, so well as I?
26 God hath given to a man that is good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he hath given vexation, and superfluous care, to heap up and to gather together, and to give it to him that hath pleased God: but this also is vanity, and a fruitless solicitude of the mind.
For, to a man who is good before him, hath he given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, —whereas, to the sinner, he hath given employment, to gather and heap up, to give to one who is good before God, even this, was vanity, and a feeding on wind.
