1 I said to myself, 'Come now, I will test you with pleasure to see what is good.' But behold, this too was meaningless.

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy pleasure: and, behold, this also is vanity.

2 I said of laughter, 'It is madness,' and of joy, 'What does it accomplish?'

I said of laughter, It is mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?

3 I explored with my heart how to cheer my body with wine, while my mind guided me with wisdom, and how to embrace folly until I could see what is good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

4 I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.

I made me great works; I builded me houses; I planted me vineyards:

5 I made gardens and parks for myself and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits:

6 I made reservoirs of water to irrigate groves of flourishing trees.

I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees:

7 I acquired male and female servants and had other servants born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem who had come before me.

I got me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me:

8 I amassed silver and gold for myself, the treasure of kings and provinces. I gathered male and female singers for myself, and the delights of men—many concubines.

I gathered me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts.

9 I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem, and my wisdom stayed with me.

So I was great, and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

10 Anything my eyes desired, I did not withhold from them; I did not keep my heart from any pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, for this was my reward for all my efforts.

And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.

11 Yet when I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, behold, everything was meaningless—a chasing after the wind. There was nothing to be gained under the sun.

Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

12 So I turned my attention to consider wisdom, madness, and folly. For what can anyone do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.

And 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 I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.

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

14 The wise have eyes in their heads, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same fate overtakes them both.

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, 'What happens to the fool will also happen to me. So why have I been so very wise?' And I concluded in my heart, 'This too is meaningless.'

Then said I 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, that this also is vanity.

16 For the wise, like the fool, will not be remembered forever; in the days to come, everything will be forgotten. How does the wise person die? Just like the fool!

For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.

17 So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was grievous to me. For everything is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

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 I hated all my toil under the sun because I must leave it to the one who comes after me.

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun: because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

19 And who knows whether that person will be wise or foolish? Yet they will rule over all the fruit of my labor that I have worked for under the sun. This too is meaningless.

And who knoweth whether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he have rule over all my labour wherein I have laboured, and wherein I have shewed myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity.

20 So I turned my heart to despair over all the hard work with which I had labored under the sun.

Therefore I went about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun.

21 For there is a person who labors with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, but then must leave everything to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22 What does a person gain from all their labor and from the striving of their heart under the sun?

For what hath man of all his labour, and of the vexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun?

23 All their days are full of sorrow, and their work is filled with grief; even at night their mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.

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 person than to eat and drink and find enjoyment in their work. This too, I realized, is from the hand of God.

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 labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

25 For who can eat or who can enjoy life apart from Him?

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

26 To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner, He gives the task of gathering and storing wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.

For God giveth to a man that 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.