Ecclesiastes 2:10-21

¹⁰And whatever my eyes desired, I withheld not from them, I withheld not my heart from all my mirth: for my heart rejoiced in all my labor; and this was my portion of all my labor.

¹¹And I looked on all my works which my hands had wrought, and on my labor which I laboured to perform: and behold, all was vanity and waywardness of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun.

¹²Then I looked on to see wisdom, and madness, and folly: for who is the man who will follow after counsel, in all things where in he employs it?

¹³And I saw that wisdom excels folly, as much as light excels darkness.

¹⁴The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walks in darkness: and I perceived, even I, that one event shall happen to them all.

¹⁵And I said in my heart, As the event of the fool is, so shall it be to me, even to me: and to what purpose have I gained wisdom? I said moreover in my heart, This is also vanity, because the fool speaks of his abundance.

¹⁶For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool for ever; forasmuch as now in the coming days all things are forgotten: and how shall the wise man die with the fool?

¹⁷So I hated life; because the work that was wrought under the sun was evil before me: for all is vanity and waywardness of spirit.

¹⁸And I hated the whole of my labor which I took under the sun; because I must leave it to the man who will come after me.

¹⁹And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? and whether he will have power over all my labor in which I laboured, and wherein I grew wise under the sun? this is also vanity.

²⁰so I went about to dismiss from my heart all my labor wherein I had laboured under the sun.

²¹For there is such a man that his labor is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in fortitude; yet this man shall give his portion to one who has not laboured therein. This is also vanity and great evil.