Ecclesiastes 2:13-26

¹³Then I saw that wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness.

¹⁴The wise man’s eyes are in his head, and the fool walketh in darkness: and yet I perceived that one event happeneth to them all.

¹⁵Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so will it happen even to me; and why was I then more wise? Then said I in my heart, that this also is vanity.

¹⁶For of the wise man, even as of the fool, there is no remembrance for ever; seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. And how doth the wise man die even as the fool!

¹⁷So I hated life, because the work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

¹⁸And I hated all my labor wherein I labored under the sun, seeing that I must leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

¹⁹And who knoweth whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have rule over all my labor wherein I have labored, and wherein I have showed myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity.

²⁰Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor wherein I had labored under the sun.

²¹For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skilfulness; yet to a man that hath not labored therein shall he leave it for his portion. This also is vanity and a great evil.

²²For what hath a man of all his labor, and of the striving of his heart, wherein he laboreth under the sun?

²³For all his days are but sorrows, and his travail is grief; yea, even in the night his heart taketh no rest. This also is vanity.

²⁴There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and make his soul enjoy good in his labor. This also I saw, that it is from the hand of God.

²⁵For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I?

²⁶For to the man that pleaseth him God giveth wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that pleaseth God. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.