The Emptiness of Pleasure

1I said to myself, “Go ahead, I will test you with pleasure;a enjoy what is good.” But it turned out to be futile. 2I said about laughter,b “It is madness,” and about pleasure, “What does this accomplish? ” 3I explored with my mind how to let my body enjoy lifec with wined and how to grasp follye — my mind still guiding me with wisdom — until I could see what is good for •people to do under heavenf during the few days of their lives.g

The Emptiness of Possessions

4I increased my achievements. I built housesh and planted vineyardsi for myself. 5I made gardensj and parks for myself and planted every kind of fruit tree in them. 6I constructed reservoirs of water for myself from which to irrigate a grove of flourishing trees.k 7I acquired male and female servants and had slaves who were born in my house.l I also owned many herds of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem.m 8I also amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces.n I gathered male and female singers for myself,o and many concubines, the delights of men.p, q 9So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem;r my wisdom also remained with me. 10All that my eyes desired, I did not deny them.s I did not refuse myself any pleasure, for I took pleasure in all my struggles. This was my reward for all my struggles.t 11When I considered all that I had accomplishedu and what I had labored to achieve, I found everything to be futile and a pursuit of the wind.v There was nothing to be gained under the sun.w

The Relative Value of Wisdom

12Then I turned to consider wisdom,x madness, and folly, for what will the man be like who comes after the king? Hey will do what has already been done.z 13And I realized that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness.aa

14The wise man has eyes in his head,

but the fool walks in darkness.ab

Yet I also knew that one fate comes to them both.ac 15So I said to myself, “What happens to the fool will also happen to me. Why then have I been overly wise? ”ad And I said to myself that this is also futile. 16For, just like the fool, there is no lasting remembrance of the wise man,ae since in the days to come both will be forgotten. How is it that the wise man dies just like the fool? 17Therefore, I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me. For everything is futile and a pursuit of the wind.

The Emptiness of Work

18I hated all my work that I labored at under the sunaf because I must leave it to the man who comes after me.ag 19And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool?ah Yet he will take over all my work that I labored at skillfully under the sun. This too is futile. 20So I began to give myself overai to despair concerning all my work that I had labored at under the sun. 21When there is a man whose work was done with wisdom, knowledge, and skill,aj and he must give his portion to a man who has not worked for it, this too is futile and a great wrong. 22For what does a man get with all his work and all his effortsak that he labors at under the sun? 23For all his days are filled with grief, and his occupation is sorrowful;al even at night, his mind does not rest.am This too is futile.

24There is nothing better for man than to eat, drink, and enjoyan, ao his work.ap I have seen that even this is from God’s hand,aq 25because who can eat and who can enjoy lifear apart from Him?as 26For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy,at but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God’s sight.au This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind.av