1 I said 1Lit in my heartto myself, “Come now, I will test you with AEccl 7:4; 8:15pleasure. So 2Lit consider with goodnessenjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility. 2 AProv 14:13; Eccl 7:3, 6I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of pleasure, “What does it accomplish?” 3 I explored with my 1Lit heartmind how to AJudg 9:13; Ps 104:15; Eccl 10:19stimulate my body with wine while my 1Lit heartmind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of BEccl 7:25folly, until I could see CEccl 2:24; 3:12, 13; 5:18; 6:12; 8:15; 12:13what good there is for the sons of men 2Lit which they doto do under heaven the few 3Lit daysyears of their lives. 4 I enlarged my works: I A1 Kin 7:1-12built houses for myself, I planted BSong 8:11vineyards for myself; 5 I made ASong 4:16; 5:1gardens and BNeh 2:8parks for myself and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; 6 I made ANeh 2:14; 3:15, 16ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing trees. 7 I bought male and female slaves and I had 1Lit sons of the houseAGen 14:14; 15:3homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and B1 Kin 4:23herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. 8 Also, I collected for myself silver and A1 Kin 9:28; 10:10, 14, 21gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself B2 Sam 19:35male and female singers and the pleasures of men—many concubines.

9 Then I became A1 Chr 29:25; Eccl 1:16great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. 10 AEccl 6:2All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my BEccl 3:22; 5:18; 9:9reward for all my labor. 11 Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had 1Lit labored to doexerted, and behold all was 2Or futility, and so throughout the chAEccl 1:14; 2:22, 23vanity and striving after wind and there was BEccl 1:3; 3:9; 5:16no profit under the sun.

12 So I turned to AEccl 1:17consider wisdom, madness and folly; for what will the man do who will come after the king except BEccl 1:9, 10; 3:15what has already been done? 13 And I saw that AEccl 7:11, 12, 19; 9:18; 10:10wisdom excels folly as light excels darkness. 14 The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the A1 John 2:11fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that BPs 49:10; Eccl 3:19; 6:6; 7:2; 9:2, 3one fate befalls them both. 15 Then I said 1Lit in my heartto myself, “AEccl 2:16As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. BEccl 6:8, 11Why then have I been extremely wise?” So 2Lit I spoke in my heartI said to myself, “This too is vanity.” 16 For there is AEccl 1:11; 9:5no 1Lit foreverlasting remembrance of the wise man as with the fool, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And BEccl 2:14how the wise man and the fool alike die! 17 So I AEccl 4:2, 3hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was 1Lit evilgrievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

18 Thus I hated AEccl 1:3; 2:11all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must BPs 39:6; 49:10leave it to the man who will come after me. 19 And who knows whether he will be a wise man or A1 Kin 12:13a fool? Yet he will have 1Lit dominioncontrol over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is B1 Tim 6:10vanity. 20 Therefore I 1Lit turned aside my heart to despaircompletely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun. 21 When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and AEccl 4:4skill, then he BEccl 2:18gives his 1Lit sharelegacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. 22 For what does a man get in AEccl 1:3; 2:11all his labor and in 1Lit the striving of his hearthis striving with which he labors under the sun? 23 Because all his days his task is painful and AJob 5:7; 14:1; Eccl 1:18; 5:17grievous; even at night his 1Lit heartmind BPs 127:2does not rest. This too is vanity.

24 There is AEccl 2:3; 3:12, 13, 22; 5:18; 6:12; 8:15; 9:7; Is 56:12; Luke 12:19; 1 Cor 15:32; 1 Tim 6:17nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and 1Lit cause his soul to see good in his labortell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is BEccl 3:13from the hand of God. 25 For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without 1So Gr; Heb meHim? 26 For to a person who is good in His sight AJob 32:8; Prov 2:6He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may BJob 27:16, 17; Prov 13:22give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is CEccl 1:14vanity and striving after wind.