I said in my heart, 'Come now, I will test you with joy; see good.' And behold, it too is vapor.

Of laughter I said, 'It is madness!' and of joy, 'What is this doing?'

I searched in my heart to draw my flesh with wine, and my heart guiding with wisdom, and to grasp foolishness, until I see what is good for the sons of Adam, which they do under the sky, the number of their days of life.

I made my works great; I built for myself houses; I planted for myself vineyards.

I made for myself gardens and orchards, and I planted in them every tree of fruit.

I made for myself pools of water, to water from them a forest growing trees.

I acquired male servants and female servants, and I had a household; also herds of cattle and flocks, much more than all who were before me in Yerushalayim.

I also gathered for myself silver and gold, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces; I made for myself singers and songstresses, and the delights of the sons of Adam, a concubine and concubines.

And I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Yerushalayim; also my wisdom stood with me.

And all that my eyes asked for, I did not withhold from them; I did not deny my heart any joy, because my heart rejoiced from all my labor, and this was my portion from all my labor.

And I turned, I, to all my works which my hands had done, and to the labor which I had labored to do, and behold, all was vapor and a chasing after wind, and there is no profit under the sun.

And I turned, I, to see wisdom and madness and foolishness, for what is the man who will come after the king, that which he has already done?

And I saw, I, that there is profit for wisdom more than for foolishness, like the profit of light over darkness.

The wise man, his eyes are in his head, and the fool walks in darkness. And I knew, even I, that one fate happens to them all.

And I said in my heart, 'As the fate of the fool happens to me also, why then did I become wiser?' And I spoke in my heart, 'This too is vapor.'

For there is no remembrance of the wise man with the fool, forever; in the days to come, all will be forgotten. And how does the wise man die with the fool?

And I hated life, because the work which is done under the sun is grievous to me, for all is vapor and a chasing after wind.

And I, I hated all my labor which I labored under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will be after me.

And who knows if the wise man will be or a fool, and he will rule over all my labor which I labored and which I was wise in under the sun? This too is vapor.

And I turned, I, to cause my heart to despair concerning all the labor which I had labored under the sun.

For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, and with knowledge, and with skill, and to a man who did not labor in it, he gives his portion. This too is vapor and a great evil.

For what is there for the man from all his labor and from the striving of his heart, which he labors in under the sun?

For all his days are pains and vexation; even at night his heart does not rest. This too is vapor.

There is nothing good for the man, that he should eat and drink and show his soul good in his labor. This too I have seen, that it is from the hand of Elohim.

For who will eat and who will hasten, except me?

For to the man who is good before Him, He gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner, He gives the task to gather and to hoard, to give to the one who is good before Elohim. This too is vapor and a chasing after wind.