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I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”
I said of laughter — “Madness!”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?”
I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine — my heart still guiding me with wisdom — and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life.
I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself.
I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards.
I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.
I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees.
I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.
So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me.
And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil.
Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
The Vanity of Living Wisely
So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
The End of the Wise and the Fool
Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly;
For what can the man do who succeeds the king? —
Only what he has already done.
Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly;
For what can the man do who succeeds the king? —
Only what he has already done.
Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness.
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly
As light excels darkness.
As light excels darkness.
The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them.
The wise man’s eyes are in his head,
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That the same event happens to them all.
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That the same event happens to them all.
Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity.
So I said in my heart,
“As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?”
Then I said in my heart,
“This also is vanity.”
“As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?”
Then I said in my heart,
“This also is vanity.”
For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool!
For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever,
Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.
And how does a wise man die?
As the fool!
Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come.
And how does a wise man die?
As the fool!
So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.
Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind.
The Vanity of Toil
I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me,
Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.
and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity.
And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.
So I turned about and gave my heart up to despair over all the toil of my labors under the sun,
Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun.
because sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.
What has a man from all the toil and striving of heart with which he toils beneath the sun?
For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun?
For all his days are full of sorrow, and his work is a vexation. Even in the night his heart does not rest. This also is vanity.
For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity.
Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God.
For to the one who pleases him God has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he has given the business of gathering and collecting, only to give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind.