¹² Then I turned myself to behold wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? Even that which hath been already done.

¹³ Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as far as light excelleth darkness.

¹⁴ The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walketh in darkness. And I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all.

¹⁵ Then I said in my heart, “As it happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me, and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is vanity.”

¹⁶ For there is no more remembrance of the wise for ever than of the fool, since all that now is shall be forgotten in the days to come. And how dieth the wise man? As the fool!

¹⁷ Therefore I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me. For all is vanity and vexation of spirit.

¹⁸ Yea, I hated all my labor which I had done under the sun, because I must leave it unto the man who shall be after me.

¹⁹ And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

²⁰ Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labor which I had done under the sun.

²¹ For a man may labor in wisdom and in knowledge and in equity; yet to a man who hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²² For what hath man for all his labor and for the vexation of his heart wherewith he hath labored under the sun?

²³ For all his days are sorrows and his travail grief. Yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

²⁴ There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

²⁵ For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto more than I?

²⁶ For God giveth to a man what is good in His sight: wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He giveth travail to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

⁹ What profit hath he that worketh in that for which he laboreth?

¹⁰ I have seen the travail which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

¹¹ He hath made every thing beautiful in his time. Also He hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

¹² I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice and to do good in his life,

¹³ and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor: it is the gift of God.

¹⁴ I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. And God doeth it, that men should fear before Him.

¹⁵ That which hath been is now, and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.