Ecclesiastes 2:18–26

The Futility of Labor

¹⁸Thus I hated ^aall the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun, for I must ^bleave it to the man who will come after me.

¹⁹And who knows whether he will be a wise man or ^aa fool? Yet he will have ¹control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is ^bvanity.

²⁰Therefore I ¹completely despaired of all the fruit of my labor for which I had labored under the sun.

²¹When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and ^askill, then he ^bgives his ¹legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.

²²For what does a man get in ^aall his labor and in ¹his striving with which he labors under the sun?

²³Because all his days his task is painful and ^agrievous; even at night his ¹mind ^bdoes not rest. This too is vanity.

²⁴There is ^anothing better for a man than to eat and drink and ¹tell himself that his labor is good. This also I have seen that it is ^bfrom the hand of God.

²⁵For who can eat and who can have enjoyment without ¹Him?

²⁶For to a person who is good in His sight ^aHe has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may ^bgive to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is ^cvanity and striving after wind.