1. I said in my heart, “Come now, let me try you with rejoicing and find out what is good.” But see, that too was futile.
2. I said of laughter, “It is madness,” and of rejoicing, “What does it do?”
3. I searched in my heart how to stimulate my body with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, until I could see what was good for the sons of men to do under the heavens all the days of their lives.
4. I made my works great, I built myself houses, I planted vineyards for myself.
5. I made gardens and parks for myself, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them.
6. I made pools of water for myself, to water from them a plantation of growing trees.
7. I bought male and female servants, and I came to have sons of the household. Also, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were before me in Yerushalayim.
8. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasures of sovereigns and of the provinces. I provided male and female singers for myself, and the pleasures of men – a woman and women.
9. Thus I became great and increased more than all who were before me in Yerushalayim. Also my wisdom remained with me.
10. And all that my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart rejoiced in all my labour. And this was my portion from all my labour.
11. But when I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labour in which I had toiled, see, all was futile and feeding on wind, and there was no gain under the sun.
12. And I turned myself to look at wisdom, and madness, and folly. For what would the man do who comes after the sovereign except what already has been done?
13. Then I saw that wisdom is better than folly, as light is better than darkness.
14. The wise one’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And I also knew that one event befalls them all.