1 I said in my mind, Come now, I will prove you with mirth and test you with pleasure; so have a good time. But this also was vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

¶ I said in my heart, Come now, I will prove thee with mirth, therefore enjoy good things; and, behold, this also is vanity.

2 I said of laughter, It is mad, and of pleasure, What does it accomplish?

I said of laughter, It is mad, and of mirth, What does it do?

3 I searched in my mind how to cheer my body with wine—yet at the same time having my mind hold its course and guide me with wisdom—and how to lay hold of folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives.

I proposed in my heart to regale my flesh with wine and that my heart would walk in wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, until I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life.

4 I made great works; I built myself houses, I planted vineyards.

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

5 I made for myself gardens and orchards and I planted in them all kinds of fruit trees.

I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits;

6 I made for myself pools of water from which to water the forest and make the trees bud.

I made myself pools of water, to water with them the forest that brings forth trees;

7 I bought menservants and maidservants and had servants born in my house. Also I had great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem.

I got myself slaves and maidens and had sons born in my house; also I had great possessions of cattle and sheep above all that were in Jerusalem before me;

8 I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got for myself men singers and women singers, and the delights of the sons of men— concubines very many.

I gathered unto myself also silver and gold and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces; I obtained men singers and women singers and all the delights of the sons of men, musical instruments, and those of all sorts.

9 S o I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me and stood by me.

So I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem, and more than that, my wisdom remained with me.

10 A nd whatever my eyes desired I kept not from them; I withheld not my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labor, and this was my portion and reward for all my toil.

And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them; I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour, and this was my portion of all my labour.

11 T hen I looked on all that my hands had done and the labor I had spent in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it, and there was no profit under the sun.

At last I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought and on the labour that I had laboured to do; and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.

12 S o I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly; for what can the man do who succeeds the king? Nothing but what has been done already.

¶ And I turned myself to behold wisdom and those who are mad, and folly; for what can the man do that comes after the king? even that which has already been done.

13 T hen I saw that even wisdom is better than folly as far as light is better than darkness.

And I have seen that wisdom excels folly as far as light excels darkness.

14 T he wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness; and yet I perceived that one event happens to them both.

The wise man has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness: And I myself also understood that one event happens to the one and to the other.

15 T hen said I in my heart, As it happens to the fool, so it will happen even to me. And of what use is it then for me to be more wise? Then I said in my heart, This also is vanity (emptiness, vainglory, and futility)!

Then I said in my heart, As it shall happen to the fool, so it shall happen even to me. Why have I worked until now to make myself wiser? Then I said in my heart that this also is vanity.

16 F or of the wise man, the same as of the fool, there is no permanent remembrance, since in the days to come all will be long forgotten. And how does the wise man die? Even as the fool!

For there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool for ever, seeing that which now is in the days to come shall all be forgotten. And also the wise man shall die the same as the fool.

17 S o I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me; for all is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

¶ Therefore I hated life because every work that is wrought under the sun was grievous unto me; for all was vanity and vexation of spirit.

18 A nd I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will succeed me.

Yea, I hated all my labour which I had taken under the sun, which I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me.

19 A nd who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have dominion over all my labor in which I have toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

And who knows whether he shall be a wise man or a fool, he who shall have rule over all my labour in which I have laboured and in which I have showed myself wise under the sun? This is also vanity.

20 S o I turned around and gave my heart up to despair over all the labor of my efforts under the sun.

Therefore my heart began to despair again regarding all the labour which I took under the sun.

21 F or here is a man whose labor is with wisdom and knowledge and skill; yet to a man who has not toiled for it he must leave it all as his portion. This also is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility) and a great evil!

That the man who worked with wisdom and with knowledge and with uprightness would have to leave his portion to a man that has not laboured therein. This also is vanity and a great evil.

22 F or what has a man left from all his labor and from the striving and vexation of his heart in which he has toiled under the sun?

For what does man have of all his labour and of the vexation of his heart in which he has laboured under the sun?

23 F or all his days are but pain and sorrow, and his work is a vexation and grief; his mind takes no rest even at night. This is also vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

For all his days are only sorrows, and his travail grief; yea, his heart does not take rest in the night. This is also vanity.

24 T here is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and make himself enjoy good in his labor. Even this, I have seen, is from the hand of God.

There is nothing better for a man than that he should eat and drink and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. I also have seen that this is from the hand of God.

25 F or who can eat or who can have enjoyment any more than I can— apart from Him ?

For who can eat, or who can care for himself better than I?

26 F or to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and heaping up, that he may give to one who pleases God. This also is vanity and a striving after the wind and a feeding on it.

For God gives to the man that is good in his sight wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner he gives travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to the one that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.