Ecclesiastes 2:1–17

I said in mine heart, Go to now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore ^aenjoy pleasure: and behold, this also is vanity. ^2bI said of laughter, It is ^cmad: and of mirth, What doeth it? ^3dI sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, (^ddyet acquainting mine heart with wisdom) and to lay hold on ^efolly, 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. ⁴I made me great works; ^fI builded me houses; ^gI planted me vineyards: ⁵I made me ^hgardens and ⁱorchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits: ⁶I made me pools of water, to water therewith the wood that bringeth forth trees: ⁷I ^kgot me servants and maidens, and had servants born in my house; also I had great possessions of ^lgreat and small cattle above all that were ^min Jerusalem before me: ⁸ⁿI gathered me also silver and gold, and the ^opeculiar treasure of ^pkings and of the ^qprovinces: I gat me ^rmen singers and women singers, and the ^sdelights of the sons of men, as musical instruments, and that of all sorts. ⁹So ^tI was great, and increased more than all that were before me ^min Jerusalem: also ^umy wisdom remained with me. ¹⁰And whatsoever mine eyes desired I ^xkept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and ^ythis was my portion of all my labour. ¹¹Then 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 ^zvanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no ^aprofit under the sun.

¹²And I turned myself to behold wisdom, and ^bmadness, and ^cfolly: for what can the man do that cometh ^ccafter the king? ^deven that which hath been ^ealready done. ¹³Then I saw that wisdom excelleth ^cfolly, as far as light ^aexcelleth darkness. ^14fThe wise man’s eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also ^gthat ^hone event happeneth to them all. ¹⁵Then said I in my heart, As ^hit happeneth to the fool, so it happeneth even to me; and why was I then ⁱmore wise? Then I said in my heart, that this also is vanity. ¹⁶For there is ^jno remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever; seeing that which ^enow is, in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And ^ghow dieth the wise man? as the fool. ¹⁷Therefore I hated life; because the work that is wrought under the sun is grievous unto me: for all is ^kvanity and vexation of spirit.