1I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; to look for the ‘good things’ of life; but that also proved to be vanity. 2I said of laughter, “It is madness”; and of mirth, “What does it accomplish?” 3I tried cheering my heart with wine, while still guiding my heart with wisdom, and to get a grasp of folly, and to see what was good for men to do under the heavens during the few days of their life. 4I undertook great projects; I built houses for myself; planted vineyards; 5I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; 6I built pools to water them from, that they might be fruitful. 7I got servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; I also acquired more herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. 8I accumulated great amounts of silver and gold, and other treasure of kings and provinces; I got male and female singers, and a harem, as well – I had everything a man could desire. 9So I became greater than all that were before me in Jerusalem; and in all this, my wisdom remained with me. 10And whatever my eyes desired, I did not deny them. I even found pleasure in my work; and this was my reward for my labor. 11And yet, when I looked on all that my hands and efforts had made, it was all vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was nothing worthwhile under the sun.

12I decided to compare wisdom, madness, and folly; for what more can the man who succeeds the king do, that has not already been done? Only what has already been done. 13I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. 14The wise man sees where he is going, but fools walk in darkness; but I also realized that one event occurs to them all. 15Then I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me; and what have I gained by being wise?” Then I said to myself, “This is also vanity. 16For the wise is no more remembered than the fool, since, in the days to come, what now is shall all be forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Like the fool; the wise, too, must die!”

17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun is frustrating to me; for it is all vanity and vexation of spirit. 18Yes, I hated all the work I had undertaken under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me. 19And who knows whether that person shall be wise or a fool? Regardless, he shall own all that I have labored over, and demonstrating wisdom in the process. This is also vanity. 20Therefore, I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I undertook under the sun. 21For where a man has labored in wisdom, knowledge, and equity; another man that has not labored in it shall inherit it. This is also vanity and a great injustice. 22For what does a person get for all his labor and frustration that he has worked for under the sun? 23For all his days are spent in sorrow and grief; indeed, even at night his mind takes no rest. This is also vanity.

24There is nothing better than to eat, drink, and find satisfaction in labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God. 25For apart from Him, who can eat, or have any enjoyment? 26For God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy to a man that is good in His sight; but He gives to the sinner the task of gathering and accumulating so that he may give to someone who is pleasing to God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.