1. I said to myself, “I will try having fun. I will enjoy myself.” But I found that this is also useless.
2. It is foolish to laugh all the time. Having fun gets nothing done.
3. I decided to cheer myself up with wine. At the same time my mind was still thinking wisely. I wanted to find a way to enjoy myself. I wanted to see what was good for people to do during their few days of life.
4. Then I did great things. I built houses, and I planted vineyards for myself.
5. I planted gardens, and I made parks. I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6. I made pools of water for myself. And I used them to water my growing trees.
7. I bought men and women slaves. Slaves were also born in my house. I had large herds of cattle and flocks of sheep. I had more than anyone in Jerusalem before me.
8. I also gathered silver and gold for myself. I took treasures from kings and other areas. I had men and women singers. I had all the wives a man could ever want.
9. I became very famous. I was greater than anyone who had lived in Jerusalem before me. My wisdom helped me in all this.
10. Anything I saw and wanted, I got for myself.I did not miss any pleasure I desired.I was pleased with everything I did.And this pleasure was the reward for all my hard work.
11. But then I looked at what I had done.I thought about all the hard work.Suddenly I realized it was just a waste of time, like chasing the wind!There is nothing to gain from anything we do here on earth.
12. Then I began to think again about being wise.And I thought also about being foolish and doing crazy things.But after all, what more can any king do?He can only do what some other king has already done.
13. I saw that being wise is certainly better than being foolish,just as light is better than darkness.
14. A wise man sees where he is going.But a foolish person is like someone walking around in the dark.Yet I saw thatboth the foolish person and the wise man end the same way.