Ecclesiastes 2:4-22

⁴I made great works: I built myself houses; I planted myself vineyards;

⁵I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted therein trees of all kinds of fruit;

⁶I made myself pools of water, to water therewith the forest overgrown with trees;

⁷I bought men-servants and maid-servants, and I had likewise those born in my house; I had also great possessions of cattle and flocks above all that had been before me in Jerusalem.

⁸I gathered unto myself also silver and gold, and the choice treasures of kings and of the provinces: I procured myself male singers and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men, wagons and chariots.

⁹So was I great, and obtained more than all that had been before me in Jerusalem: also my wisdom remained with me.

¹⁰And whatsoever my eyes desired I refused them not; I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart was rejoiced with all my toil, and this was my portion of all my toil.

¹¹But when I turned myself to look on all my works that my hands had wrought, and on the toil that I had toiled to accomplish: then, behold, all was vanity and a torture of the spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

¹²And then I turned myself to behold wisdom, and madness, and folly; for what can the man do that cometh after the king? only that which others have done already.

¹³But I saw indeed that wisdom hath the advantage over folly, as great as the advantage of light over darkness.

¹⁴The wise man hath his eyes in his head, while the fool walketh in darkness; but I myself perceived then also that one occurrence will befall all of them.

¹⁵Then said I in my heart, The same that befalleth the fool will also befall even me: and why have I then been wiser? Then spoke I in my heart, that this is also vanity.

¹⁶For there is no recollection of the wise any more than of the fool for ever: seeing that which hath long ago been will, in the days that are coming, all be forgotten. And how doth the wise die equally with the fool!

¹⁷Therefore I hated life; because I felt displeased with the work that is wrought under the sun; for all is vanity and a torture of the spirit.

¹⁸Yea, I hated also all my toil with which I had toiled under the sun; because I should have to leave it unto the man that will be after me.

¹⁹And who knoweth, whether he will be a wise man or a fool? yet will he have full sway over all my toil wherein I have toiled, and wherein I have shown myself wise under the sun. Also this is vanity.

²⁰Therefore I turned about to cause my heart to give up thinking of all the toil wherewith I had toiled under the sun.

²¹For there is many a man whose toil is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and with energy; yet to a man that hath not toiled therefore must he give it as his portion. Also this is vanity and a great evil.

²²For what doth a man obtain of all his toil, and of the torture of his heart, wherewith he toileth under the sun?