Wisdom Is Meaningless

¹² I, the Teacher,^(A) was king over Israel in Jerusalem.^{(B) 13} I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.^(C) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!^{(D) 14} I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.^(E)

Pleasures Are Meaningless

2 I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure^(A) to find out what is good.” But that also proved to be meaningless. ² “Laughter,”^(B) I said, “is madness. And what does pleasure accomplish?” ³ I tried cheering myself with wine,^(C) and embracing folly^(D)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

⁴ I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself^(E) and planted vineyards.^{(F) 5} I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. ⁶ I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves^(G) who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.

¹⁸ I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.^{(A) 19} And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish?^(B) Yet they will have control over all the fruit of my toil into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. ²⁰ So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. ²¹ For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. ²² What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?^{(C) 23} All their days their work is grief and pain;^(D) even at night their minds do not rest.^(E) This too is meaningless.