Ecclesiastes 2

1 I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. Enjoy what is good.” But look, this too was futile. 2 I said of laughter, “Madness!” and of pleasure, “What does this accomplish?” 3 I explored in my heart how to draw my flesh along with wine—while my heart guided me with wisdom—and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for human beings to do under the sun during the numbered days of their lives. 4 I made my works great. I built houses for myself and planted vineyards for myself. 5 I made gardens and orchards for myself and planted in them every kind of fruit tree. 6 I made pools of water for myself to irrigate a grove growing timber. 7 I acquired male and female slaves, and slaves were born in my household. I also possessed more herds and flocks than everyone before me in Jerusalem. 8 I also gathered silver and gold for myself, along with the special treasures of kings and provinces. I obtained male and female singers, the delights of human beings—a male wine-pourer and female wine-pourers. [a] 9 I became great and surpassed everyone before me in Jerusalem. My wisdom also remained with me. 10 I did not withhold from my eyes anything they desired, nor did I keep my heart from any pleasure. My heart rejoiced in all my toil, and this was my portion from all my toil. 11 Then I looked at all the works my hands had done and the toil at which I had toiled to accomplish them. Look, everything was futile and a restless striving of spirit. There was no advantage under the sun.

12 Then I turned to consider wisdom, madness, and folly—for who is the person who will follow after counsel in all that he has done with it? [b] 13 I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly, just as light has an advantage over darkness. 14 The wise have their eyes in their heads, but fools walk in darkness. Yet I also realized that the same outcome comes to them all. 15 I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me as well. Why then did I become so wise?” Then I spoke at length in my heart—because a fool speaks from excess—that this too is futile. 16 For neither the wise nor the fool is remembered forever. In the coming days everything is forgotten. How can the wise die just like the fool?

17 So I hated life, because the work done under the sun was evil to me. Everything is futile and a restless striving of spirit. 18 I hated all my toil at which I toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the person who comes after me. 19 Who knows whether he will be wise or foolish? Yet he will control everything I gained by my toil and wisdom under the sun. This too is futile. 20 So I turned to renounce in my heart all the toil at which I had toiled under the sun. 21 For someone may toil with wisdom, knowledge, and courage, yet he must give his portion to someone who did not toil for it. This too is futile and a great evil. [c] 22 For what does a person gain from all his toil and from the striving of his heart at which he toils under the sun? 23 All his days are filled with sorrows, and his occupation is anger. Even at night his heart does not rest. This too is futile.

24 There is nothing good for a person except to eat and drink and let his soul enjoy good in his toil. I saw that this too comes from God’s hand. 25 For who can eat, and who can refrain, apart from him? [d] 26 To the person who is good in his sight, God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and heaping up, only to give it to one who is good before God. This too is futile and a restless striving of spirit.