Ecclesiastes 2
1 I said in my heart, 'Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it [is] vanity.
I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure — but it was to no purpose.
2 Of laughter I said, 'Foolish!' and of mirth, 'What [is] this it is doing?'
Of laughing I said, It is foolish; and of joy — What use is it?
3 I have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly till that I see where [is] this — the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.
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.
4 I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.
I undertook great works, building myself houses and planting vine-gardens.
5 I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.
I made myself gardens and fruit gardens, planting in them fruit-trees of all sorts.
6 I made for me pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting forth trees.
I made pools to give water for the woods with their young trees.
7 I got men-servants, and maid-servants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance — herd and flock — above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.
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.
8 I gathered for me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for me men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man — a wife and wives.
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.
9 And I became great, and increased above every one who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood with me.
And I became great; increasing more than all who had been before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom was still with me.
10 And all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from all my labour,
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.
11 and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!
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.
12 And I turned to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what [is] the man who cometh after the king? that which [is] already — they have done it!
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.
13 And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the darkness.
Then I saw that wisdom is better than foolish ways — as the light is better than the dark.
14 The wise! — his eyes [are] in his head, and the fool in darkness is walking, and I also knew that one event happeneth with them all;
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.
15 and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this [is] vanity:
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.
16 That there is no remembrance to the wise — with the fool — to the age, for that which [is] already, [in] the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dieth the wise? with the fool!
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!
17 And I have hated life, for sad to me [is] the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
So I was hating life, because everything under the sun was evil to me: all is to no purpose and desire for wind.
18 And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is after me.
Hate had I for all my work which I had done, because the man who comes after me will have its fruits.
19 And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also [is] vanity.
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.
20 And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at under the sun.
So my mind was turned to grief for all the trouble I had taken and all my wisdom under the sun.
21 For there is a man whose labour [is] in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it — his portion! Even this [is] vanity and a great evil.
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.
22 For what hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at under the sun?
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?
23 For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this also [is] vanity.
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.
24 There is nothing good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it [is] from the hand of God.
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.
25 For who eateth and who hasteth out more than I?
Who may take food or have pleasure without him?
26 For to a man who [is] good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.
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.
