Ecclesiastes 2:1-3

Holman Christian Standard Bible

The Emptiness of Pleasure

2 I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;^(A) enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. ² I said about laughter,^(B) “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” ³ I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy life^[a] with wine^(C) and how to grasp folly^(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom—until I could see what is good for people to do under heaven^[b] during the few days of their lives.^(E)