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.
15. And I said in my heart, “As the event of the fool, even so it befalls me, and why was I then more wise?” Then I said in my heart, “This also is futile.”
16. For there is no more lasting remembrance of the wise than of the fool, since in the days to come all is forgotten. And how does a wise man die? With the fool!
17. And I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was evil on me, for all is futile and feeding on wind.