1I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with laughter and good cheer. So enjoy pleasure." And look, this also is empty.
2I said of laughter, "It is mad." And of good cheer I said, "What does it do?"
3I searched in my heart how to give myself to wine, while still keeping my heart with wisdom. I wanted to take hold of folly, until I might see what was good for people to do under heaven all the days of their life.
4I did great works. I built myself houses. I planted myself vineyards.
5I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted in them trees of every kind of fruit.
6I made myself pools of water, to water the woods where trees were growing.
7I got myself male servants and female servants, and I had servants born in my house. I also had great herds of cattle and flocks of sheep, more than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8I also gathered for myself silver and gold, and the special treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself men singers and women singers, and the delights of people, and musical instruments of all kinds.
9So I was great, and I grew greater than all who were in Jerusalem before me. And my wisdom stayed with me.
10Whatever my eyes wanted, I did not keep from them. I did not hold my heart back from any joy. For my heart was glad in all my work, and this was my share of all my work.
11Then I looked at all the works my hands had done, and at the work I had laboured to do. And look, it was all empty and a trouble of spirit, and there was no gain under the sun.
12Then I turned to look at wisdom, and madness, and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done.
13Then I saw that wisdom is better than folly, as far as light is better than darkness.
14The wise man's eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I saw this too: the same thing happens to them both.
15Then I said in my heart, "What happens to the fool happens to me too. So why was I more wise?" Then I said in my heart that this also is empty.
16For the wise man is remembered no longer than the fool. What happens now will all be forgotten in the days to come. And how does the wise man die? Like the fool.
17So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was painful to me. For it is all empty and a trouble of spirit.
18Yes, I hated all the work I had done under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.
19And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all the work I laboured at, and in which I showed myself wise under the sun. This also is empty.
20So I turned and let my heart give up hope over all the work I had done under the sun.
21For here is a man whose work is done with wisdom, and knowledge, and fairness. Yet he must leave it as a share to a man who did not work for it. This also is empty, and a great evil.
22For what does a man get from all his work, and from the trouble of his heart, in which he has laboured under the sun?
23All his days are sorrows, and his hard work is grief. Yes, his heart takes no rest in the night. This also is empty.
24There is nothing better for a man than to eat and drink, and to let himself enjoy good things in his work. This also I saw, that it came from the hand of God.
25For who can eat, or who can hurry to this, more than I?
26For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to the man who is good in his sight. But to the sinner he gives hard work, to gather and to pile up, so that he may give it to the one who is good before God. This also is empty and a trouble of spirit.