Ecclesiastes 2

2I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless.H559H3820H3212H5254H8057H7200H2896H18922"Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?"H559H7814H1984H8057H2090H62133I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.H8446H3820H4900H1320H3196H5090H3820H2451H270H5531H7200H2896H1121H120H6213H8064H4557H3117H24164I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards.H1431H4639H1129H1004H5193H37545I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.H6213H1593H6508H5193H6086H65296I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees.H6213H1295H4325H8248H3293H6779H60867I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me.H7069H5650H8198H1121H1004H7235H4735H1241H6629H3389H64408I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man.H3664H3701H2091H5459H4428H4082H6213H7891H7891H8588H1121H120H7705H77059I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me.H1431H3254H6440H3389H2451H597510I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor.H5869H7592H680H4513H3820H8057H3820H8056H5999H2506H599911Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.H6437H4639H3027H6213H5999H5998H6213H1892H7469H7307H3504H812112Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king's successor do than what has already been done?H6437H7200H2451H1947H5531H120H935H310H4428H3528H621313I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness.H7200H3426H2451H3504H5531H216H3504H282214The wise man has eyes in his head, while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both.H2450H5869H7218H3684H1980H2822H3045H259H4745H713615Then I thought in my heart, "The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise?" I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless."H227H559H3820H4745H3684H7136H1571H3148H2449H1696H3820H189216For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!H2146H2450H5973H3684H5769H3528H3117H935H7911H4191H2450H368417So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.H8130H2416H4639H6213H8121H7451H1892H7469H730718I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me.H8130H5999H6001H8121H3240H120H31019And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless.H3045H2450H5530H7980H5999H5998H2449H8121H189220So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun.H5437H2976H3820H2976H5999H5998H812121For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.H3426H120H5999H2451H1847H3788H120H5998H5414H2506H1892H7227H745122What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun?H1933H120H5999H7475H3820H1931H6001H812123All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless.H3117H4341H6045H3708H3820H7901H3915H189224A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work. This too, I see, is from the hand of God,H2896H120H398H8354H5315H7200H2896H5999H2090H7200H3027H43025for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment?H398H2363H235126To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.H5414H120H2896H6440H2451H1847H8057H2398H5414H6045H622H3664H5414H2896H6440H430H1892H7469H7307