Ecclesiastes 2:4-11

English Standard Version

⁴ I made great works. I ^(A)built houses and planted ^(B)vineyards for myself. ⁵ I made myself ^(C)gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. ⁶ I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves, and had ^(D)slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of ^(E)herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. ⁸ I also gathered for myself silver and ^(F)gold and the treasure of ^(G)kings and ^(H)provinces. I got ^(I)singers, both men and women, and many ^(J)concubines,^[a] the delight of the sons of man.

⁹ So I became great and ^(K)surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my ^(L)wisdom remained with me. ¹⁰ And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart ^(M)found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my ^(N)reward for all my toil. ¹¹ Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was ^(O)vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing ^(P)to be gained under the sun.