Ecclesiastes 2
1I said in my heart, 1 Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, and behold thou good: 1 And, behold, this is also vanity. 1
2I said to laughter, Madness: 1 And to mirth, Why doest thou this? 1
3And I examined whether my heart 1 Would excite my flesh as with wine 1 (Though my heart guided me in wisdom), 1 And I desired to lay hold of mirth, 1 Until I should see of what kind is the good to the sons of men, 1 Which they should do under the sun 1 All the days of their life. 1
4I enlarged my work; 1 I built me houses; 1 I planted me vineyards. 1
5I made me gardens and orchards, 1 And planted in them every kind of fruit tree. 1
6I made me pools of water, 1 To water from them the timber-bearing wood. 1
7I got servants and maidens, 1 And servants were born to me in the house: 1 Also I had abundant possession of flocks and herds, 1 Beyond all who were before me in Jerusalem. 1
8Moreover I collected for myself both silver and gold also, 1 And the peculiar treasures of kings and provinces: 1 I procured me singing men and singing women, 1 And delights of the sons of men, 1 A butler and female cupbearers. 1
9So I became great, 1 And advanced beyond all 1 That were before me in Jerusalem: 1 Also my wisdom was established to me. 1
10And whatever mine eyes desired, 1 I withheld not from them, 1 I withheld not my heart 1 From all my mirth: 1 For my heart rejoiced in all my labor; 1 And this was my portion 1 Of all my labor. 1
11And I looked on all my works 1 Which my hands had wrought, 1 And on my labor which I labored to perform: 1 And, behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, 1 And there is no advantage under the sun. 1
12Then I looked on to see wisdom, 1 And madness, and folly: 1 For who is the man who will follow after counsel, 1 In all things wherein he employs it? 1
13And I saw that wisdom excels folly, 1 As much as light excels darkness. 1
14The wise man’s eyes are in his head; 1 But the fool walks in darkness: 1 And I perceived, even I, 1 That one event shall happen to them all. 1
15And I said in my heart, 1 As the event of the fool is, 1 So shall it be to me, even to me; 1 And to what purpose have I gained wisdom? 1 I said moreover in my heart, 1 This is also vanity, 1 Because the fool speaks of his abundance. 1
16For there is no remembrance of the wise man 1 With the fool forever; 1 Forasmuch as now in the coming days 1 All things are forgotten: 1 And how shall the wise man die with the fool? 1
17So I hated life; 1 Because the work that was wrought under the sun 1 Was evil before me: 1 For all is vanity and waywardness of spirit. 1
18And I hated the whole of my labor 1 Which I took under the sun; 1 Because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. 1
19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? 1 And whether he will have power over all my labor 1 In which I labored, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? 1 This is also vanity. 1
20So I went about to dismiss from my heart 1 All my labor wherein I had labored under the sun. 1
21For there is such a man that his labor 1 Is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; 1 Yet this man shall give his portion 1 To one who has not labored therein. 1 This is also vanity and great evil. 1
22For it happens to a man in all his labor, 1 And in the purpose of his heart 1 Wherein he labors under the sun. 1
23For all his days 1 Are days of sorrows, and vexation of spirit is his; 1 In the night also his heart rests not. 1 This is also vanity. 1
24A man has nothing really good 1 To eat, and to drink, and to show his soul 1 As good in his trouble. 1 This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God. 1
25For who shall eat, or who shall drink, without him? 1
26For God has given to the man 1 Who is good in his sight, 1 Wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: 1 But he has given to the sinner trouble, 1 To add and to heap up, 1 That he may give to him that is good before God; 1 For this is also vanity and waywardness of spirit.