Ecclesiastes 2

2I 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. ¹⁸Yea, I hated all my labour which I had ^†taken under the sun: because ^lI should leave it unto the man that shall be ^mafter me. ¹⁹And ^lwho 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. ²⁰Therefore I ^mmwent about to cause my heart to despair of all the labour which I took under the sun. ²¹For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in ⁿequity; yet to a man that hath not laboured therein shall he ^†leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil. ²²For what hath man ^oof all his labour, and of the ^pvexation of his heart, wherein he hath laboured under the sun? ²³For all ^qhis days are ^rsorrows, and his ^stravail ^rgrief; yea, his heart taketh not rest in the night. This is also vanity.

^24tThere is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he ^||should make his soul ^uenjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, ^wthat it was from the hand of God. ²⁵For who can eat, or who else can hasten hereunto, more than I? ²⁶For ^xGod giveth to a man that is good ^†in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he giveth ^stravail, ^lto gather and to heap up, ^ythat he may give to him that is good before God. This also is ^zvanity and vexation of spirit.