Ecclesiastes 2
1 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.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth: therefore enjoy pleasure;" and look, this also was vanity.
2 Of laughter I said [it is] folly and of pleasure what? this [is it] doing.
I said of laughter, "It is foolishness;" and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?"
3 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.
I searched in my heart how to cheer my flesh with wine, my heart yet guiding me with wisdom, and how to lay hold of folly, until I might see what it was good for the sons of men that they should do under heaven all the days of their lives.
4 I made great works my I built for myself houses I planted for myself vineyards.
I made myself great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.
5 I made for myself gardens and parks and I planted in them tree[s] of every fruit.
I made myself gardens and parks, and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruit.
6 I made for myself pools of water to water from them a forest sprouting of trees.
I made myself pools of water, to water from it the forest where trees were reared.
7 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.
I bought male servants and female servants, and had servants born in my house. I also had great possessions of herds and flocks, above all who were before me in Jerusalem;
8 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.
I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men—musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
9 And I became great and I increased more than any who was before me in Jerusalem also wisdom my it remained to me.
So I was great, and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me.
10 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.
Whatever my eyes desired, I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.
11 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.
Then I looked at all the works that my hands had worked, and at the labor that I had labored to do; and look, all was vanity and a chasing after wind, and there was no profit under the sun.
12 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.
I turned myself to consider wisdom, madness, and folly. For what can the man who comes after the king do? Just that which he has already done.
13 And I saw I that there [is] advantage of wisdom more than folly like [the] advantage of light more than darkness.
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly, as far as light excels darkness.
14 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.
The wise man's eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness—and yet I perceived that one event happens to them all.
15 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.
Then said I in my heart, "As it happens to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise?" Then said I in my heart that this also is vanity.
16 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.
For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no memory for ever, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. Indeed, the wise man must die just like the fool.
17 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.
So I hated life, because the work that is worked under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a chasing after wind.
18 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.
I hated all my labor in which I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
19 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.
Who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have rule over all of my labor in which I have labored, and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
20 And I turned I to make despair heart my on all the toil that I have toiled under the sun.
Therefore I began to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor in which I had labored under the sun.
21 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.
For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with skillfulness; yet he shall leave it for his portion to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
22 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.
For what has a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, in which he labors under the sun?
23 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.
For all his days are sorrows, and his travail is grief; yes, even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
24 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.
There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.
25 For who? will he eat and who? will he enjoy outside from me.
For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, apart from him?
26 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.
For to the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who pleases God. This also is vanity and a chasing after wind.
