The Vanity of Pleasure and Possessions

2 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with ^(A)gladness, so that you shall see good things.” And behold, it too was vanity. ^2 (B)I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of gladness, “What does it do?” ³ I explored with my heart how to ^[a](C)stimulate my ^[b]body with wine—while my heart was guiding me wisely—and how to seize ^(D)simpleminded folly, until I could see ^(E)where is this good for the sons of men in what they do under heaven the few days of their lives. ⁴ I made my works great: I ^(F)built houses for myself; I planted ^(G)vineyards for myself; ⁵ I made for myself ^(H)gardens and ^(I)parks, and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees; ⁶ I made for myself ^(J)pools of water from which to water a forest of growing trees. ⁷ I bought male and female slaves, and I had ^[c](K)homeborn slaves. Also I possessed flocks and ^(L)herds larger than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. ⁸ Also, I collected for myself silver and ^(M)gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I provided for myself ^(N)male and female singers and the pleasures of the sons of men—many concubines.

⁹ Then I became ^(O)great and increased more than all who preceded me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also stood by me. ^10 (P)All that my eyes asked for I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any gladness, for my heart was glad because of all my labor, and this was my ^(Q)reward for all my labor. ¹¹ Thus I turned to all my works which my hands had done and the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was ^[d](R)vanity and striving after wind, and there was ^(S)no advantage under the sun.

Wisdom Excels Folly

¹² So I turned to ^(T)see wisdom, madness, and simpleminded folly. What will the man do who will come after the king except ^(U)what has already been done? ¹³ And I saw that there is an advantage in ^(V)wisdom over simpleminded folly as light has an advantage over darkness. ¹⁴ The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the ^(W)fool walks in darkness. And yet I know that the ^(X)fate of one becomes the fate of all of them. ¹⁵ Then I said in my heart, “^(Y)As is the fate of the fool, so will my fate be also. ^(Z)Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said in my heart, “This too is vanity.” ¹⁶ For there is ^(AA)no remembrance of the wise man along with the fool forever, inasmuch as in the coming days all will be forgotten. And ^(AB)how the wise man dies with the fool! ¹⁷ So I ^(AC)hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was ^[e]grievous to me; because everything is vanity and striving after wind.

The Vanity of Labor

¹⁸ Thus I hated ^(AD)all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must ^(AE)leave it to the man who will come after me. ¹⁹ And who knows whether he will be a wise man or ^(AF)a man of simpleminded folly? Yet he will have ^[f]power over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored and for which I have acted wisely under the sun. This too is ^(AG)vanity. ²⁰ Therefore I turned my heart to despair of all my labor for which I had labored under the sun. ²¹ When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge, and ^(AH)skill, then he ^(AI)gives his portion to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil. ²² For what does a man get in ^(AJ)all his labor and in the striving of his heart with which he labors under the sun? ²³ Because all his days his endeavor is painful and ^(AK)vexing; even at night his heart ^(AL)does not lie down. This too is vanity.

^24 [g]There is ^(AM)nothing better for a man than to eat and drink and have his soul see good in his labor. This also I have seen that it is ^(AN)from the hand of God. ²⁵ For who can eat and who can have enjoyment outside of ^[h]Him? ²⁶ For to a man who is good before Him, ^(AO)He has given wisdom and knowledge and gladness, while to the sinner He has given the endeavor of gathering and collecting so that he may ^(AP)give to one who is good before God. This too is ^(AQ)vanity and striving after wind.