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, `Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it vanity.

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

Of laughter I said, `Foolish!' and of mirth, `What this it is doing?'

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 have sought in my heart to draw out with wine my appetite, (and my heart leading in wisdom), and to take hold on folly till that I see where this -- the good to the sons of man of that which they do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives.

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

I made great my works, I builded for me houses, I planted for me vineyards.

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

I made for me gardens and paradises, and I planted in them trees of every fruit.

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

I made for me pools of water, to water from them a forest shooting 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 men-servants, and maid-servants, and sons of the house were to me; also, I had much substance -- herd and flock -- above all who had been before me in Jerusalem.

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 for me also silver and gold, and the peculiar treasure of kings and of the provinces. I prepared for me men-singers and women-singers, and the luxuries of the sons of man -- a wife and wives.

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.

And I became great, and increased above every one who had been before me in Jerusalem; also, my wisdom stood 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 all that mine eyes asked I kept not back from them; I withheld not my heart from any joy, for my heart rejoiced because of all my labour, and this hath been my portion, from 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.

and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage 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 to see wisdom, and madness, and folly, but what the man who cometh after the king? that which already -- they have done it!

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

And I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom above folly, like the advantage of the light above the 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! -- his eyes in his head, and the fool in darkness is walking, and I also knew that one event happeneth with them all;

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)!

and I said in my heart, `As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this 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!

That there is no remembrance to the wise -- with the fool -- to the age, for that which already, the days that are coming is all forgotten, and how dieth the wise? with 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.

And I have hated life, for sad to me the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole 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.

And I have hated all my labour that I labour at under the sun, because I leave it to a man who is 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 knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this 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.

And I turned round to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labour that I laboured at 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!

For there is a man whose labour in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it -- his portion! Even this 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 hath been to a man by all his labour, and by the thought of his heart that he laboured at 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 sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this 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 good in a man who eateth, and hath drunk, and hath shewn his soul good in his labour. This also I have seen that it 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 eateth and who hasteth out more 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 to a man who good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this vanity and vexation of spirit.