2I decided to enjoy myself and find out what happiness is. But I found that this is useless, too. ²I discovered that laughter is foolish, that pleasure does you no good. ³Driven on by my desire for wisdom, I decided to cheer myself up with wine and have a good time. I thought that this might be the best way people can spend their short lives on earth.

⁴^*I accomplished great things. I built myself houses and planted vineyards. ⁵^*I planted gardens and orchards, with all kinds of fruit trees in them; ⁶^*I dug ponds to irrigate them. ⁷^*I bought many slaves, and there were slaves born in my household. I owned more livestock than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem. ⁸^*I also piled up silver and gold from the royal treasuries of the lands I ruled. Men and women sang to entertain me, and I had all the women a man could want.

⁹^*Yes, I was great, greater than anyone else who had ever lived in Jerusalem, and my wisdom never failed me. ¹⁰Anything I wanted, I got. I did not deny myself any pleasure. I was proud of everything I had worked for, and all this was my reward. ¹¹Then I thought about all that I had done and how hard I had worked doing it, and I realized that it didn’t mean a thing. It was like chasing the wind—of no use at all.

Read in Logos

Cross references

*2.4–8: 1 K 10:23–27; 2 Ch 9:22–27
*2.4–8: 1 K 10:23–27; 2 Ch 9:22–27
*2.4–8: 1 K 10:23–27; 2 Ch 9:22–27
*2.4–8: 1 K 10:23–27; 2 Ch 9:22–27 2.7: 1 K 4:23
*2.4–8: 1 K 10:23–27; 2 Ch 9:22–27 2.8: 1 K 10:10, 14–22
*2.9: 1 Ch 29:25