I sought in mineheart to givemyselfuntowine, yet acquaintingmineheartwithwisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was thatgood for the sons of men, whichtheyshould do under the heaven all the days of theirlife.
I got me servants and maidens, and had servantsborn in my house; also I had greatpossessions of great and smallcattleabove all thatwere in Jerusalembefore me:
I gathered me alsosilver and gold, and the peculiartreasure of kings and of the provinces: I gat me men singers and womensingers, and the delights of the sons of men, as musicalinstruments, and that of all sorts.
And whatsoevermineeyesdesired I kept not fromthem, I withheld not my heartfrom any joy; for my heartrejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour.
Then I looked on all the worksthat my hands had wrought, and on the labourthat I had laboured to do: and, behold, all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profitunder the sun.
Thensaid I in my heart, As it happeneth to the fool, so it happenetheven to me; and why was I thenmorewise? Then I said in my heart, thatthisalso is vanity.
For there is no remembrance of the wisemorethan of the fool for ever; seeingthatwhich now is in the days to comeshall all be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man? as the fool.
And who knowethwhether he shall be a wise man or a fool? yet shall he haveruleover all my labourwherein I havelaboured, and wherein I haveshewedmyselfwiseunder the sun. This is alsovanity.
For there is a man whoselabour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity; yet to a man thathath not labouredthereinshall he leave it for his portion. Thisalso is vanity and a greatevil.
There is nothingbetter for a man, thanthat he should eat and drink, and that he shouldmake his soulenjoygood in his labour. Thisalso I saw, that it was from the hand of God.
For God giveth to a man that is good in his sightwisdom, and knowledge, and joy: but to the sinner he givethtravail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is goodbefore God. Thisalso is vanity and vexation of spirit.